Reality Bites
by rlassie
Summary: We've all read the stories about people from our reality suddenly being transported into Charmed. Well, what would happen if someone from the show came out instead? A normal woman from the real world reads a spell aloud, drawing a popular character from her favourite TV show into her reality. WTF? How in the hell did that happen? Chaos ensues! A revelation fic with a twist. M 4 V/L
1. Chapter 1 - From there to here

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the unrecognisable things in the plot (and the plot itself) and Meg

**Quick A/N – This little ditty came about because the latest chapter of Hide and Seek was frustrating me and this popped into my head while I was trying to sort it out. And then it wouldn't leave me alone until I put it on paper (or computer screen, whatever). No relation to Hide and Seek or Future Consequences. It's short, but other chapters will be longer, if you all want other chapters that is. Let me know! Anyway, hope you all enjoy the results of writers block! *winks cheekily***

**Chapter One - From there to here**

* * *

Megan 'Meg' O'Connor sighed in relief as she unlocked the front door and stepped into the house, closing and relocking the door behind her. It had been a long night. The pub had been unusually rowdy tonight, what with the baseball celebrations that were happening all over the city. She didn't follow the sport, but a whole hell of a lot of other New Yorkers did, so they'd invaded the normally semi-quiet Irish pub in very high spirits.

Throwing her handbag onto the table, she wandered down to her bedroom to get changed into her pyjamas. It was three o'clock in the morning, but she wasn't at all tired. She usually wasn't after the late shift. She came home too keyed up to sleep, so she did what she usually did every night. She settled back onto the couch, turned on the TV and hit play on the DVD player. The next episode in the sixth season of Charmed began to play, and she leaned back with a content smile as Holly Marie Combs and Drew Fuller appeared on the screen.

Meg loved Charmed. It was a guilty pleasure that none of her friends or family knew about. If they had, her family most definitely wouldn't have approved. Meg grew up in a very strict religious household and in her parents' opinion; a 30-year-old woman should not be devoting so much time and energy to silly little TV shows, especially ones about magic and the supernatural.

She didn't know why she kept if from her friends. She smiled to herself as thought maybe it might have something to do with the ridiculous little crush she had on the character Chris. If her friends knew that she lusted after a man who was really more of a boy, and a fictional character at that… well the teasing would never end. Plus she really wanted to keep this time she had with him to herself.

She chuckled as the episode came to an end. There she went, thinking of him as real again. She'd be locked up in a mental hospital if that ever got out. She shook her head as she switched off the TV and headed to the computer to begin the second part of her nightly ritual. It was amazing how many fans Charmed had, and how many of them had their own ideas and plot lines for the series, as well as other series', movies and books. It was inspirational really. Fledgling writers as well as published ones from all over the world posted fanfiction on the site Meg was now on. And she really couldn't go to sleep without trolling through the stories, especially the ones about a certain green-eyed half witch, half whitelighter.

Her hazel eyes narrowed as she came across a story she liked the sound of. It was by an author who she really enjoyed reading, and she clicked on it eagerly. She was soon caught up in the adventures of Chris Halliwell as he tried to stop his brother from being turned evil, and keep his distance from the family who didn't know who he was at the same time, a running theme in Chris fanfiction. She was so engrossed that she didn't realise how late it was – or early in this case – until the early morning light began to shine through the living room windows.

She blinked and pushed back her shoulder-length messy waves of dark red hair, squinting as her eyes suddenly began to burn. Shit, she'd done it again. She gotten so lost in the story, she'd read what was left of the night away.

She sighed really had to stop doing this. If she fell asleep at work one more time… well to say her boss would be unhappy would be an understatement. She was just about to save the page and head to bed when wording a little further down the screen caught her eye. A spell. And by the looks of it, one the author had made up. She smiled. Oh, she loved it when imagination was used!

The idea of going to bed was put on the backburner as she scrolled down to the italics, and her eyebrows raised as she read the spell out loud.

_Hear these word, f__rom one to all,  
__Bring him forth, w__ithin these walls.  
__Let him come, a__nd learn what must,  
__To defeat what needs, a__nd complete the just._

She blinked again. Well that was rather simple. Maybe she should go back and read from where she left off so that the spell would be in context… no. She needed to go to bed!

With the spell swirling around madly in her brain, she saved the page and flicked off the computer. She was just heading towards her bedroom when she caught a glow out of the corner of her eye. She spun round and stared in shock as radiant white lights appeared out of nowhere and began circling and almost exploding in the air. Her jaw hit the floor as the lights slowly vanished to reveal a young man with dark brown hair, gorgeous green eyes and a scowl that looked like it was permanently etched on his face.

The man looked around, confusion spreading across his features, until he noticed Meg. He blinked, folded his arms and glared at her impressively.

"Where am I? And who the hell are you?"

Meg gulped as his voice washed over her. He sounded exactly like he did on the show, and she'd always found his voice incredibly sexy. She stared at him, slightly dazed, until he spoke again, making her jump.

"Hey, I asked you a question!"

"Ah… Drew?" Meg questioned cautiously. What the hell was Drew Fuller doing in her living room? And how the fuck did he get here?! The man scowled again.

"My name is Chris" he said and Meg's jaw once again hit the floor. "Chris Perry. Now are you going to tell me what's going on here, or am I going to have to work it out of you?"


	2. Chapter 2 - Who I am

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Meg

**Quick A/N – Thanks for the reviews, follows and the favourite guys. I'm really glad you want me to carry on with the story! So without further ado, here's the second chapter! **

**Chapter Two – Who am I**

"_My name is Chris" he said and Meg's jaw once again hit the floor. "Chris Perry. Now are you going to tell me what's going on here, or am I going to have to work it out of you?" _

* * *

"Am I dreaming?"

Meg's bemused whisper carried across the room to her unexplained (but not unwanted) visitor. The man calling himself Chris Perry narrowed his eyes at her, his suspicion fading slightly in the face of her shock.

"This is not a dream. You're as awake as I am."

Meg shook her head in wonder as she stared at him. He certainly looked like Chris Halliwell. And he definitely acted like Chris Halliwell. Unless he really was Drew Fuller and someone was playing an insane joke on her.

She ran her eyes over him, taking in his youthful appearance, and swallowed. Drew had been born in 1980, which would make him 33-years-old. This boy was most definitely not 33-years-old. If he was lucky, he may have been able to pass for mid-twenties, but no older. He looked the age he portrayed in the show, which was a full ten years younger then Drew would look today. Which meant…

Holy fuck.

"But I must be dreaming. I _must _be! How else could you be here?! You're you! You're Christopher Halliwell!"

With that single croaked out sentence, Chris's distrust came back triple fold. He shot across the room and grabbed Meg by the arm. Hard.

"How do you know that?! How do you know my real name?!" he hissed into her face. Meg's mouth fell open and she felt her own anger start to bubble up.

"Let go of me!" she growled, jerking her arm back desperately.

"Answer my question! How do you know who I am?!"

"I'll answer you as soon as you stop assaulting me!" she yelled. When all he did was growl himself, Meg twisted her arm in a complicated move that somehow put her captor on his back, on the floor.

Chris blinked up at the red-head in shock, not used to someone else getting the upper hand. Meg crouched down and kneeled lightly on his chest.

"Look buster, I have no more idea what's going on than you do! This is a completely confusing situation we've both been thrown in, but that doesn't mean you can try and use your strength against me! That's something I'm just not going to allow. Do you understand me?"

Chris frowned. "I need some answers."

"So do I!" Meg cried as she rubbed her forehead in frustration. "You appear out of nowhere, scaring the shit out of me, and then don't let me get a word in edgewise! You're not the only one who's in the dark here you know!"

His frown deepened and he folded his lips. "Let me up."

"Are you going to behave yourself?"

He grimaced and then slowly nodded. Meg stared down into his annoyed green eyes, ignoring the way her heart was pounding at being so close to him. If she let him up, would he get physical again? Well at least he hadn't used his powers, so that was something. Wait. Did he still even have any powers?

She sighed and slowly rose from her crouch, lifting her knee of Chris's chest at the same time. Chris warily got to his feet as well, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Okay, now why don't we go sit down and discuss this like full-grown adults instead of you trying to intimidate me with your height and strength?" Meg suggested.

"How do I know you won't attack me as soon as my back is turned?" Chris asked carefully.

Meg frowned. "You don't I guess. I know this will be hard for you, but you'll just have to trust me. I'm not going to attack you. That would be pointless anyway, as it would probably be over almost immediately."

"You sure got me on the ground quick enough" Chris muttered and Meg had to hide a smirk. Living in New York and working in a pub, even a quiet one like Aibhlinn's, meant that in her opinion, smart people – woman especially – should always be able to defend themselves. She hadn't always felt that way, and it had taken a bar patron who had turned out to be a mugger to change her mind. A week later she'd sighed up for self-defence classes, and had kept up with them ever since.

She waved her hand towards the sofa and Chris hesitated for a moment before heading towards it. Meg sat down beside him and they watched each other silently.

"So you really are Chris Halliwell" Meg said suddenly, and saw her guest tense.

"No one knows that, so how do you?" he asked with narrowed eyes, giving Meg a clue at what part of the season he'd been transported out of. She shook her head at her own thoughts. This was crazy!

"I know everything about you" she said on a sigh. "I know that Perry is in fact your second name, though you like people to think it's your last. I know your parents are Piper Halliwell and Leo Wyatt. And I know that you are half witch and half whitelighter."

Chris stared at her in shock. "Who the hell _are _you?"

Meg held out her hand. "My name is Meg O'Connor. And I'm a normal person who just got a very large dose of something that should have been impossible."

~0~

Chris stared at her hand suspiciously for a moment, before he slowly reached out and grasped it, as if afraid her skin would be burning to the touch. Meg drew in a sharp intake of breath as their palms met. His hand was warm and rough, not at all pampered like most of the metrosexuals the Big Apple produced. The second they touched a heavy shock of something that felt a lot like electricity shot up her arm, down through her chest and settled to pool low in her belly. Her eyes widened as her body temperature skyrocketed, and she quickly let go of his hand.

Christ almighty, her reaction to Chris Halliwell had been bad enough while he was on a TV screen! But now… now it was twice as worse! He was physically here, very much in the flesh, and it took everything she had to hide the fact that she wanted to jump his bones.

Desperately.

She took a deep breath, rubbing her palm on her pyjama pants, trying to stop in from tingling. _Get over yourself Meg!_ she thought. _It's never going to happen! Not only are you strangers, and he clearly doesn't trust you, but you're also almost ten years older than him! He'd never be interested in you!_

She pushed her completely inappropriate physical reaction to the back of her mind and looked at Chris once more, jumping slightly when she found him looking back at her. His eyes were shuttered.

"You really are a normal person? A mortal? You're not a witch or a…"

"Demon? No, I'm not. I'm totally, completely, 100% mortal."

"Then how did I get here?" Chris asked in frustration. "The only way it could have happened was through a spell-"

"It was a spell" Meg said. "And don't ask me how it worked, because I have no idea."

"If you're a mortal, how could it have worked in the first place?!"

Meg grimaced. It shouldn't have worked at all. The spell was made up by a fanfiction writer, and completely false. The whole concept of Charmed was false!

This thought reminded her that she had something very important she needed to tell him. If he was going to be around for a while, he couldn't not know. She ignored the way her blood heated at the thought that he'd be hanging around and cleared her throat.

"Ah, Chris? There's something you should know."

Her heart pounded as he frowned at her. She knew she needed to tell him, but she had no idea how. She had no idea what to say.

Figuring that the saying 'actions speak louder than words' was more then true, she got up and picked up a DVD case off her coffee table. She handed it to him silently.

Chris's eyes widened as he took in the picture on the case. It was the case of season six, and it showed all three Charmed Ones, Paige, Phoebe and Piper respectively. Above the photo were the words, 'Charmed: The Complete Sixth Season'.

"What the hell is this?" Chris demanded as he turned the case over and read the back. "'Season six catapults the sisters into action when they, disguised as Valkyries, must save Leo from an island of gorgeous warrior maidens.'"

He dropped the case and glared at Meg. "What bullshit are you trying to sell me?"

"It's the reason why all this should have been even more impossible then it is already" Meg said quietly. "When I read the spell, or what would have been a spell in your world, it must have pulled you across realities."

"Across realities? How do you even know about crossing realities if you aren't a witch? Stop beating around the bush and tell me what the hell is going on!" Chris growled as he surged to his feet. Meg grimaced.

"Chris… in my reality, you don't exist. Well you do, just not as you are now."

"Try and make _some_ sense you'd you?" Chris snarled as he began to pace.

She watched him for a moment, decided to jump right in when she sensed the panic that was just starting to show. She sighed.

"In my reality, you, Christopher Perry Halliwell, are a character in a TV show called Charmed. You are played by an actor named Drew Fuller, and the sister are played by the actresses Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan."

She waved her hand, indicating the DVD case.

"The show is very popular, enough that it lasted eight seasons and even continued on in comic books, but that's all it is. A TV show, with characters that don't exist outside of a 40-minute timeframe."

Chris stared at her mutely.

"You're lying" he stated calmly.

Meg sighed and shook her head. "I'm not. If you look out the window, you'll see you're not even in San Francisco. You're in New York. The year is 2013 and magic doesn't exist."

"No. You _are _lying. You have to be. And I'll prove it."

Without another word, he did something that completely threw Meg for a loop. He proved that magic _did _exist and orbed, leaving her sitting alone in her living room, with her mouth on the floor.

~0~

Meg paced. Where the hell was he? Why wasn't he coming back? Didn't he realise that if anyone saw him, he'd be mobbed? Drew Fuller was a popular actor, especially with woman. He'll get recognised instantly!

_At least it answers the question of whether he has any powers in this reality_ she thought as she paced. But him suddenly disappearing on her, giving her absolutely no indication of where he was going or when he'd be back did other things as well, the main one being terrifying her back to the stone age. If he told anyone who he was… well mixed with his face, he'd be under psychiatric evaluation in a heartbeat, and on the six o'clock news straight after. Drew Fuller believing he was one of his past characters? Yeah, the reporters really wouldn't be interested in that. Not!

She ran her hand through her hair in frustration. She was going to kill him when he got back! _If_ he got back! She was dead on her feet, and instead of being buried under her blankets where she should have been, she was pacing her living room, praying that a should-be-fictional character orbed back to her! Not to mention if anyone saw him orbing!

_Oh, I am screwed. I am so screwed_ she thought. Why did this have to happen to her? Her life had just settled down, and then sexy-as-hell Chris Halliwell comes into the picture. Now if he would only just orb back…

She stopped mid-pace as a thought occurred to her. No. That wouldn't work. Would it?

Deciding that trying wouldn't kill anyone – she hoped – she lifted her eyes to the ceiling.

"CHRIS!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. "CHRISTOPHER PERRY HALLIWELL, GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!"

She looked around expectantly, only to be disappointed. Nothing. So it doesn't work. She sighed. Oh, if only real life was more like the sho-

She spun round as a tinkling rang through the room, a tinkling sound she instantly recognized. Her eyes widened when she saw Chris forming in front of her.

"It worked" she stated dumbly before she glared at him.

"Where the freaking hell have you been?" she shrieked. Chris scowled.

"I was trying to prove you wrong" he said. "You didn't have to shout so loud. I was on my way back anyway."

"And you didn't think that I might be worried?" she hissed, advancing on him as if stalking prey.

Surprise flickered in Chris's eyes for an instant before it was gone. He took a wary step back.

"Honestly, no it didn't. But why would you be worried anyway? You don't even know me!"

"Yes I do" Meg said as she sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I have all eight seasons on DVD Chris. I know you like the back of my hand. And even if I didn't, I would still be worried. Any decent human being would be!"

He muttered something that sounded a lot like "not everyone" but she wasn't sure. She frowned.

"Don't do it again" she warned, pointing a finger at him. Her frown deepening when Chris's mouth turned up into a lopsided smile.

"What?"

"You just reminded me of my Mom. She used to say that to me all the time when I was a kid."

Disappointment surged through her and she swallowed hard. Reminded him of his Mom. Jesus, what a boot to the ego. She didn't think she was that old!

Pushing her surprising strong regret aside, she folded her arms and glared at him again.

"You still haven't told me where you went."

Chris's mouth twisted broodingly. "1329 Prescott Street" he said.

Meg raised her eyebrows in surprise. "The Manor?"

"Yes. The Manor. But it wan't the Manor at all!"

It was Chris's turn to pace. Meg watched him stride from one end of the room to the other in the exact same route she'd walked not ten minutes before.

"For a start off, it wasn't even in San Francisco! When I arrived, _I _wasn't even in San Francisco! I was in Los Angeles! I was at 1329 Carroll Ave, Los Angeles!"

"That's where the house is that's used for the exterior shots in the show" Meg said quietly, her eyes still on his moving form.

"So I figured I'd try inside. Only to find it was totally different! The sisters didn't even live there!"

"The inside is a mocked-up studio set" Meg whispered. She could feel the confusion and frustration pumping off him, heavily overlaid with panic. She sighed, reached for his hand and pulled him to a stop.

"Chris, I'm sorry. But you're going to have to accept it. The Halliwell Manor only exists inside the world of Charmed."

His hands tightened around hers, and heat stormed through Meg's veins as she stared up into his tormented eyes. She once again ignored it.

"I have to get back ho- back to the Manor, Meg" Chris said in a soft voice, and Meg's heart jolted at the unexpected vulnerability in his voice and eyes. She gave his hands a shake.

"And you will. A spell bought you here; we should be able to find one that gets you home."

They continued to look into each other's eyes for a long moment before Chris nodded and stepped back. Meg glowered to herself as she once again rubbed her hand on her pants. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Her heart was aching slightly at the thought of him going home. Man, she was an idiot! He didn't even see her as a healthy, red-blooded female! He'd compared her to his mother! God, she was going to kick her own ass if this lead to her falling for him! Lusting after a fictional character was one thing, but loving one… Well, that was just not allowed.


	3. Chapter 3 - The end of the beginning

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Meg

**Quick A/N - Kirsty: As I don't have all that much of an idea where I'm going with this yet either, I guess we'll both have to wait and find out lol. Oh, and I'd love if the spell worked in the real world as well! :-P Thanks for your reviews, greatly appreciated!  
Everyone else: Keep those reviews, follows and favourites coming guys! They make me smile! Right, enough chatter, on with the story!**

**Chapter Three – The end of the beginning**

_God, she was going to kick her own ass if this lead to her falling for him! Lusting after a fictional character was one thing, but loving one… Well, that was just not allowed._

* * *

"Right, so the first thing we need to do is figure out how the hell you got here" Meg said, pushing her inappropriate reaction to him to the back of her mind. "It should have been impossible. I'm definitely not a witch or any type of magical being, and that spell was made up."

Chris's eyebrows hit his hairline. "Made up? What do you mean, it was made up?"

"Here, let me show you" Meg answered, spinning round to head towards the computer. She gasped softly as the room spun with her movement, her body copying it as she felt herself sway.

"Whoa. Hey. Are you okay?"

Meg blinked slowly, trying desperately to clear her vision, which seemed to be swarming with black spots. Her eyelids felt like concrete, her arms like lead. She was suddenly, hellishly tired.

She was also abruptly grateful for the hands that were resting on her shoulders, because at the moment, they were the only things holding her up. Her legs were like jelly. Glancing at the clock, she snorted to herself as she realized why. It was eight am. She gotten up at three the afternoon before, which meant she'd been up for seventeen hour straight!

"Meg?"

She took a few deep breaths, shook her head to clear her vision again and carefully pulled away from Chris. She slowly turned towards him and sent him a weak smile.

"I'm okay, nothing to worry about" she said, trying for an upbeat tone and failing miserably. It came out more slurred then anything.

"I just really need to go to bed."

Chris frowned. "Haven't you just gotten up?"

"No. I work at an Irish pub that's open until two in the morning. As I'm one of the only few workers who doesn't have a family to go home to, I work the late shift. I was just about to go to bed when you mystically showed up on the doorstep."

"Why were you still up at all if you finished at two?" Chris asked, his frown still in place.

Meg sighed. "Listen, can we talk about this later? I need to sleep soon, or my body won't give me a choice."

"But what about how I got here and how I'm getting back?" Chris asked in a voice that was just beginning to lean towards frustrated.

"Later, Chris. I promise, we'll look at it later. Tonight, when I come home from work if your still up okay?" Meg all but begged. Her head was beginning to feel very light and floaty. Not a good sign.

Chris scowled and looked like he was about to argue, only to stop when Meg tried to discreetly lean against the wall to stop herself falling over. His eyes widened as they ran over her face. Meg knew that she must look like a ghost at the moment. She was naturally pale anyway, thanks to the Irish blood running through her veins, but she knew that when she was extremely tired, her skin went a sickly greyish colour. It wasn't very pleasant to witness, but it backed up her argument quite nicely.

"Fine, go to bed" Chris snapped, and if Meg hadn't been so tired, she would have smacked him one. She wasn't going to put up with being spoken to like that! But since there wasn't anything she could do at the moment that wouldn't lead to her ending up face first on the floor, she settled for sending him a withering look.

She tuned – very slowly – and heading towards the stairs that lead down to her bedroom. Meg lived in a bottom story apartment a few blocks away from Central Park. The place had been cheap, and as she had been in a rush to find a place when she'd moved to the city, she'd rung and sighed up on the spot once she'd seen the price. She hadn't even taken a look at the place, which she'd regretted when she'd moved it. Not that the apartment was nasty or anything. I was just a small, barren little place with a tiny kitchen, even smaller bathroom, and a larger main room. At first, Meg had thought that she was going to have to set up her bed in the main room, along with her living room furniture. That was until she'd seen the narrow staircase and banister that had led down to a separate, smaller room. The room had probably been the basement back before the building became apartments, and she'd immediately claimed in for her bedroom.

She headed there now, stopping on the top step and looking over her shoulder at her guest.

"You're welcome to anything in the kitchen and I have Tivo and plenty of DVD's and Blu-rays', as well as the internet, so you shouldn't get bored. I do just have one request though. Please don't leave the apartment."

Chris's head snapped up from the sixth season DVD case he was scowling at.

"What? Why not?" he growled. Meg blinked and told herself that she didn't find that tone sexy. No, not at all. She frowned at him.

"Chris, you're identical to the actor who plays you on the show. If you go out in public wearing his face and are recognized, you're likely to get mobbed. This in turn will probably bring the paparazzi, and I don't think you want to be answering questions about why you're in magazines, miraculously looking ten years younger, do you? You're lucky you didn't get caught when you went out on your little jaunt before!"

"It's my face" Chris muttered broodingly as he glanced down again, and Meg couldn't hide a smile.

"That it is, and a good-looking one at that. But if you take it outside, your cover will get blown very quickly."

Surprise let Chris's eyes for a second when he looked up at her again, but he didn't comment. He just looked back at her stubbornly. Meg sighed and closed her eyes, only just having enough energy to open them again, and she jolted slightly when she did, as they ran smack dab into his intense green gaze. There was something in his eyes that she didn't recognize. Then suddenly it was gone again, as his expression became shuttered once more.

"Chris-"

"Fine" he said abruptly, turning away from her and sitting back down on that sofa. "I won't leave the apartment. Go to bed."

Meg grimaced. "I'm sorry to cage you like this, but-"

"I know, I know, I'll be fine. I won't go anywhere, I promise. Go to bed Meg." he said forcefully, interrupting her again.

She sighed as relief flowed through her. Chris kept his promises. He always had. She was now free to sleep, knowing that he would still be there when she woke up.

"Goodnight Chris" she said as she turned back around and descended at a deliberately unhurried pace. Falling down the stairs wouldn't be a good idea.

"More like good morning" Chris muttered and Meg smiled to herself. She walked over and flicked on the lamp beside the bed, pulled back the cover and climbed under them. The room was dark with another flick of the lamp, the only sound the muted chatter of the TV as Chris switched it on.

The instant she closed her eyes, she felt sleep dragging her under. She gave herself up to it, but just before it claimed her, she thought she heard one last thing drifting down the stairs.

"Night, Meg."

~0~

Meg slept like the dead and woke to her alarm, groggy and disoriented. She sat bolt upright in bed and looked around dazedly before she smacked the alarm off. She blinked and laid back down, pulling the covers up to her chin. She closed her eyes and turned over, only to open them again and scowl at the weird light filtering through the tiny window.

She looked at her alarm clock, thinking maybe she'd slept through her alarm again. And shrieked.

She bolted out of bed. 7.17 pm? How could it possibly be 7.17 pm? She was due at the pub in just under 45 minutes! She'd slept through her alarm before, but never four hours through it!

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit" she chanted as she flew up the stairs. Only to stop dead at the body lying asleep on her sofa.

Chris was dead to the world. He was lying on his side, his arm tucked under his head and his hair falling in his eyes. The TV was softly playing some unknown program, and his chest was rising and falling steadily as he slept. She swallowed. Sleep made his look like he didn't have a care in the world. He looked adorable, incredibly innocent and oh so young.

Meg's heart pounded in her chest. She stared at him and her fingers itched to reach out and smooth back his hair. She didn't dare though. She had no idea if he was a heavy or light sleeper, but she was guessing he would be a light one. When you lived in a dark, dangerous future where your brother was a monster and you're constantly on the run, you'd have to be a light sleeper.

As if wanting to prove her theory, Chris shifted on the sofa, groaned – which made Meg want to echo it, as the sound seeped through her skin and settled in places it had no business being – and blinked open his eyes. His gaze collided with hers and Meg stilled as all the air seemed to leave the room. There was once again something in his eyes that she couldn't identify. But whatever it was, it dominated his thoughts and shined from his depths. And it was intense.

As abruptly as they had earlier that morning, the walls came down, and suddenly the unknown emotion keeping her frozen to the spot was gone. Chris frowned at her as he sat up.

"You're up I see" he said dryly. His words melted her inactivity and she jumped as the time sprang into her mind again. Christ! How long had she been standing there, ogling him?

She looked at the clock again and swore, making Chris's brows lift. Too long! She was going to be late if she didn't get her ass into gear! She shot towards the bathroom.

"What's wrong?" Chris called after her.

"I start at eight!" Meg called back breathlessly as she turned on the shower. "I can't be late again or Niall will have my head on a platter!"

Whatever Chris said in return was muted by the stall as she stepped in. Meg took the quickest shower ever, praying all the while that the traffic wasn't too bad. If it wasn't, then maybe, just maybe, she might be able to make it on time.

She turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapped a towel around herself, shot out the bathroom door and down the stairs. She caught the way Chris's eyes widened when he saw her, but ignored it. If he was going to be staying for a while, he'd have to get used to it. Though Meg didn't go as far as walking around the house naked, she didn't see the point of dragging clothes from one place to another, when a towel did the trick until she got to her bedroom again.

Besides, it wasn't as if the towel was tiny. It covered her from armpit to mid-thigh, so he wasn't seeing anything he shouldn't be.

_Oh, I wish he could see something he shouldn't be,_ she thought and then shook her head as she pulled her t-shirt over her head. She had to stop thinking of him like that! In was inappropriate and just plain wrong! It might have been different if he was interested, but he wasn't, so she was just setting herself up for heart-break if she continued down that road.

She pulled her sneakers on her feet and ran back up the stairs, scooping her still wet hair up into a ponytail as she did. She ignored Chris, who was still sitting on the couch, grabbed a hair tie out of her bag and completely the style.

"What does that mean?" his voice asked and she turned around to look at Chris in question. "What's written on the back of the t-shirt. What does it mean?"

"What, Aibhlinn's? It's the name of the pub where I work. It's an Irish name. You pronounce it 'ave-leen" she explained distractedly. Keys, keys, where were her keys? Why did something always go missing the instant you needed it?

Finding them right at the bottom of her far too immense bag, she headed for the door.

"If it's quiet, I'll be back just after two, if not then probably three. Once again, you're welcome to anything" she called over her shoulder.

"Wait. You're going now? What about food? You can't work a full shift without eating first!" Chris exclaimed. Meg stopped and looked over her shoulder at him, surprise running through her. He was concerned about her? Why?

"I don't have time to eat, I grab something at work" she said, knowing that this wasn't the complete truth. Yes, she'd grab something, but she'd dive right in as soon as she walked through the door, meaning she wouldn't be seeing anything resembling food that she could eat herself until her first break. She'd be starving by then, that she'd just have to put up with it. That's what happens when you sleep well passed the time you should have gotten up.

Chris narrowed his eyes. "Why don't I believe you?" he asked and Meg didn't have time to wonder how he could possibly know she was lying after only knowing her for a day. She rolled her eyes and continued out the door.

"See you in a few hours Chris" she called.

"What am I supposed to do until you get back?" Chris yelled after her. Meg swallowed a chuckle at how close to a whine that sentence had sounded.

"Do what your good at" she shouted over her shoulder. She flicked a look around and grinned at Chris's puzzled expression.

"Research, Christopher, research!" she laughed. "Have fun!"

She continued laughing all the way to her car as she imagined the way he was grumbling at her answer. He'd get into it though, once he sat down and started. He always did.

~0~

It was a quiet night at Aibhlinn's, but after the night before, Meg had expected it to be. She'd made it to work and walked in the door with two minutes to spare. Niall hadn't looked impressed, but he had nothing to call her out on, as she'd been on time. Just, but still on time.

Even if she hadn't made it, she didn't think that he would have gotten rid of her. He would have spoken to her in that quiet tone of his, making his disappointment clear and making her feel utterly horrible in the process, but he wouldn't have fired her. She was his best bartender, as well as being his only full Irish one. Irish American, but her blood still ran completely green, and she even had a teeny bit of an accent in certain circumstances. No, he wouldn't get rid of her. Not only was he too nice, she was too good for business.

As she whipped up a Guinness for the eager looking customer in front of her, she swallowed as her stomach pulled hollowly. She'd known she'd be hungry, but she hadn't realized it would be this bad! She was so hungry, she could eat a whole herd of horses, and she was actually beginning to feel a little sick. It was a good thing that her break was only ten minutes away.

She glanced up, looking around the atmospheric room for her next customer, and happened to spot a short blond man walk out of the bathroom. She frowned as her eyes ran over him, watching him walk in her direction. There was something about him, something in the way he moved, that seemed familiar. It pulled at her, and she looked away as she drew a cloth out of the back pocket of her jeans and began to wipe up the bar. She looked up again when she sensed a presence, looking directly into a pair of angry brown eyes.

She blinked and breath left her abruptly. It was the blond man, and if she thought that his walk was familiar, it was nothing on his eyes. She was absolutely positive she'd never seen him before in her life, but there was something there, something in his annoyed gaze…

She narrowed her own eyes and cocked her head.

"What can I get you?" she asked.

The man scowled.

Her eyes widened. No. It couldn't be! He wouldn't! But she'd know that scowl anywhere!

She turned away from him to call out to her co-worker that she was taking her break a little early, stepped out from behind the bar and grabbed the man's arm, all but dragging him after her. The man didn't protest, just followed along calmly, and this just confirmed Meg's suspicion. Which made her even more aggravated.

She slipped into a dark, private booth at the back of the pub and snapped her hand to the opposite seat, firmly telling the man to sit down. He did, and the two of them stared at each other for a short time before Meg burst.

She launched herself forward as far as she could and snarled into his foreign face.

"What in the name of fiery pits of the far reaches of hell do you think you're doing Christopher Perry Halliwell?! You said you'd stay home! You can't _be_ here!"

"No one knows who I am! I look nothing like me! I'm here because we need to talk!"

Meg folded her arms and glared at him.

"What if the spell wears off Chris? You could reveal who you are in an instant!" she growled at him.

Chris blinked and for the third time that day, that something she couldn't name appeared in his eyes before it was gone. She frowned to herself. What _was_ that? She shook it off when Chris spoke again.

"It's not going to wear off until I let it Meg! It's a glamour, not a spell, so I control it!"

His mouth twisted into a bitter sneer.

"Which you should already know, since you own all eight seasons of Charmed, don't you? I'm guessing it slipped your mind?"

He copied her, leaning forward so close, she could feel his breath on her lips. She shuddered as her heart began to race frantically.

"Just like that fact that an Elder is after my brother, and that I die at the end of the sixth season slipped your mind" he hissed in a horrible, deathly quiet voice. "Wanna tell me about that Megan?"

_Oh. Shit._


	4. Chapter 4 - Stormy weather

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Meg

**A/N - Kirsty: Ah, yes, grumpy Chris. I like grumpy Chris. :D But I also like the other sides of him (hell, I like all of him), so yes, those will be popping up as well, including his sweet side, though definitely not in this chapter lol. That probably won't be till further down the road. Thanks for the review!**

**Chapter Four – Stormy weather**

"_Just like that fact that an Elder is after my brother, and that I die at the end of the sixth season slipped your mind" he hissed in a horrible, deathly quiet voice. "Wanna tell me about that Megan?"_

_Oh. Shit._

* * *

Meg said the first thing that popped into her head.

"How do you know my full first name?"

The guy that looked absolutely nothing like Chris Halliwell, but still acted like him, blinked at her question. It seemed to have put him off his stride. He sat back a bit and frowned at her.

"What does that matter? You need to tell me why you kept this from me, and you need to do it right now!" he ordered.

Meg's mouth fell open. He had the audacity to order her? Who the hell did he think he was! She closed her eyes and took a couple of deep, calming breaths, trying her best not to let her temper get the better of her. It had done a lot of damage over the years, and Meg was trying to keep it from running rampant, which wasn't an easy thing to do. She opened her eyes and met his gaze as calmly as possible.

"I do not have to do anything Christopher. Not here and not now. I'm at work, in case this slipped your notice. Any _discussion_ we have" she said, stressing the word discussion, "will be at home tonight, not while I'm earning a living. Capiche?"

Chris's frown transformed into a scowl, and he opened his mouth to argue, only to stop when Meg held up her hand.

"No, Chris. Tonight okay? I'll explain everything then. Right now, I'm at work."

Not waiting for him to answer, she got to her feet, only to sit back down again abruptly as the room span for the second time in as many days. _Dammit. I really need to eat._

"Thought you were going?" Chris stated dryly and Meg waved her hand at him.

"Yeah, I'm getting there. In a minute."

She took another deep breath and once again tried to stand. She didn't make it very far. She swore under her breath as she sunk back down again.

"Doesn't look like it to me."

"Shut up Chris!" she snapped, his snarky, amused, annoyingly sarcastic tone sparking her anger again. She turned towards the bar and tried to get her co-workers attention. She'd be fine as soon as she got some food in her.

Unfortunately Tim was busy with a customer and didn't notice her ever-so-slightly desperate hand movements. She sighed, wondering if she'd be able to make it to the bar without passing out. She carefully rose to her feet again and took a step forward.

The room spun and tilted and Meg knew that this really wasn't her night. _Shit._

"Hey! Hey, hey what's wrong? Meg, sit down. Sit down!"

Chris's voice was very distant. She found herself listening to him as her body didn't give her a choice. Her knees dissolved and her collapsed back into the booth.

"Meg! That's the second time you've almost passed out on me! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I just need to eat" she mumbled, blinking slowly.

"You need to eat? Why haven't you already? For God's sake woman, you'll be the death of me!"

Meg stared at the table as Chris's grumbling drifted off. She didn't care about him at the moment. All she cared about was staying conscious. Damn her physical being that needed three square meals a day and at least seven hours sleep a night! Or a day in this case. She smiled woozily at her thoughts as she began to float.

"Here. Eat this until your food gets here. Meg? Meg! Eat!"

Her nose twitched as a bowl of pretzels and nuts were thrown down in front of her. They smelled really good. She wanted to bury her face in them, and she very nearly found herself doing just that.

"Jesus Meg! Eat them, don't inhale them! You'll choke that way!"

Meg ignored him and continued to plough through the snacks. She'd never tasted anything so good. The fog in her brain began to clear as she motored her way through them. The bowl was soon gone, and she was able to sit back and take in her surroundings again, starting with a disgruntled Chris, who for some reason was sitting right next to her. She smiled at him tentatively.

"Thanks. I need to get regularly or my blood sugar gets low."

Chris frowned. "Are you diabetic?"

Meg looked at him in surprise and nodded. "It's not bad, but I do have to eat and sleep regularly, or I can't function."

"So why the hell did you not eat when you first got here like you said you were going to?!" Chris snapped.

Meg flushed guiltily.

"I didn't say I was going to eat as soon as I got here, I said I'd get something at work! Which I am!" she hissed as she nodded towards Tim, who was heading in their direction with a full plate. Her mouth watered as he placed it down in front of her. Hmm. A packed sandwich and fries. The bar snacks had cleared her head, but she was still extremely hungry.

"You put your health at risk just so you aren't late for work? Christ, Meg, you need to take better care of yourself! I need you to be at your best, and don't have the time or the inclination to look out for you!"

Meg froze with the sandwich half way to her mouth. He didn't have the time or the inclination? She closed her eyes as pain lanced through her. My God, were they all the same?

She opened her eyes, put down her meal and slowly turned to face Chris, who was glowering at her. The angry look dropped away, turning into a confused frown when he saw her expression.

"Oh, don't worry Chris, I'm a big girl, you don't have to look out for me. I can take care of myself. You just worry about you, since that's all you seem to have the time or the inclination to do anyway."

Chris's jaw dropped slightly and he frowned again. The brown eyes that looked so much better in their natural shade shifted as guilt trickled through them, before they became shuttered and closed off once more. Meg grimaced and looked over towards the bar.

"My break's nearly over. I have to go back to work. You're welcome to stay, but it probably be boring. It isn't very lively here tonight."

She got up and pushed past him, her meal forgotten.

"Meg, wait!"

She stopped and turned back, frowning slightly at the demand in his voice. She raised an eyebrow, trying for a bored expression. Chris's own expression flickered, so she must have pulled it off.

"Ah… don't forget your sandwich. You don't want to get sick" he said quietly, holding out her plate after a small hesitation. She snorted silently.

_Like you'd care_ she thought, taking the plate and heading to the bar. But the thing was, she thought he actually might. She'd read regret in that hesitation. She didn't think he'd meant to say what he'd said.

She shrugged as she put the plate down, took a bite and headed towards a gesturing customer. So he regretted speaking his mind. So what? She wasn't going to let it, or him, get to her. She was who she was, and she wasn't going to change for anyone. She couldn't change, at least not her health anyway. The truth was she was usually on top of the disease, but Chris's appearance had thrown her for a loop. She hadn't had a spell like that for over a year, and it wasn't going to happen again.

As for changing who she was, well that wasn't going to happen either. She'd tried doing just that, spending two years of her life trying to be the person someone thought she should be. The result had been painful, both physically and emotionally. She wasn't going to do it again.

She did finish the sandwich though, doing it on the sly so Niall wouldn't tell her off. He'd been right when he'd said she needed to take care of herself, and not let things get on top of her. So she finished her sandwich, served her customers, went on her second break and completely ignored the blond haired, brown eyed man, who broodily nursed a single drink and didn't leave the booth for the rest of the night.

~0~

She was able to finish directly at two that night, as it had been no way near as busy as the night before. She had just walked out the door, not really looking forward to going home to face Chris, who had finally left when it became clear they were closing, when someone pulled away from the wall, startling her.

She froze, raising her hands in defence, only to lower them when the person stepped into light of the doorway. She relaxed slightly and scowled.

"Jesus, Chris, a little warning would be nice! What the hell are you still doing here anyway? I thought you went home!"

"I thought I'd, ah, wait for you" he muttered as he frowned at the sidewalk. "You know, just to make sure you got home okay."

"I thought you didn't have the time or the inclination to look out for me?" she said sweetly, ignoring the way her heart leapt at his gesture.

Chris scowled. "Yeah, well, I may have, ah, overstated that a bit" he muttered, his eyes flicking to her and then flicking away again.

"Oh, really?" Meg said, blinking innocently. Chris scowled again.

"Look, I'm sorry alright?" he suddenly burst out. "I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean to."

Meg sighed. He didn't mean to. He was apologizing because he felt guilty, not because he didn't mean what he'd said. But, knowing him, it was the closest she was probably going to get.

Deciding to let him off the hook, she smiled gently. "It's okay Chris, don't worry about it" she said. "Let's go home okay?"

Chris frowned in confusion and looked like he was going to say something, but seemed to change his mind. His lips folded and his expression darkened.

"Yes, so you can explain why you kept some very important details from me" he said snappily and Meg sighed. She'd been hoping he'd forgotten about that.

They didn't speak as Meg drove them back to her apartment. The closer they got, the more tense Chris seemed to get. He was lost in his own thoughts, not very pleasant one's going by his body language, so she left him to it. Her heart was racing at the thought of the upcoming conversation. She knew he wouldn't like what she had to say. She didn't like her reasons either, but they were the only ones she had.

She pulled into her assigned slot, got out of the car and led the silent witch up to the door. She gasped when she went to unlock it and found it already unlocked. Her hand went to the cell in her bag, ready to call the cops if there was anyone inside.

"What's the matter?" Chris asked from behind her.

"The door's unlocked" she breathed as she took a few cautious steps into the apartment. "There could still be someone inside."

"Ah…"

Meg frowned at the tone and spun round to meet a pair of guilty eyes. She frowned at him.

"What?"

"The door's unlocked because I didn't think to lock it when I left. I just orbed."

She stood there, stupefied, for a long moment, trying to process her shock. He'd left without locking the door? Jesus Christ!

"You left without… you're kidding me right?! Chris, you can't _do_ that! Everything I own is in this apartment! This is New York City; people will take every opportunity they can get!"

"I'm sorry! I haven't lived in a place where you have to lock up when you leave for a really long time! I'm not used to it!" he snapped.

Meg shook her head, pushing down the pity she felt at his explanation, knowing that he wouldn't appreciate it. She couldn't imagine living somewhere that so far away from a home that you could leave without locking.

"Please remember" she said on a sigh as she walked into the lounge and took a quick look around, breathing out in relief when she didn't notice anything missing. "As I said, everything I own is in here, and I can't afford to replace something if it gets stolen."

"If someone was determined enough, a locked door isn't going to stop them" Chris muttered and then sighed and held up his hands when Meg turned to glare at him.

"Okay, okay, I'll remember!"

"Good. Thank you. I'll get you a key so you don't have to orb all the time as well, though we'll have to share the car. I take it you can drive, can't you?" she asked, not remembering any time in the show where she saw him behind the wheel.

A very peculiar expression passed through Chris's eyes at her question, before he nodded slowly. It was a mixture of emotions, surprise, delight and gratitude the three that shone through the most, before as always, the curtains closed and his eyes were blank once more. Meg frowned. Why did he keep doing that?

"Alright, so we're home" Chris said as he folded his arms and looked at her expectantly, annoyed once again. "How about you do what you said you would and tell me why you hid something this big from me?"

"I didn't hide it from you Chris" Meg said as she sighed for a second time, ignoring the way her heart pounded when Chris called her place 'home'. "I honestly never even thought to tell you."

His eyes widened, and his annoyance kicked up a notch, to become anger. "You never thought to tell me the one thing that I've been looking for, for the last six months, as well as the fact that I'm going to die soon? Come on, that's bullshit! You just didn't want to tell me!"

"I didn't want to tell you? How do you figure that?" she scoffed. "And would you please get rid of that ridiculous costume?! I'd actually like to see the person I'm arguing with thank you very much!"

Chris blinked, as if he'd forgotten that he was still wearing someone else's face, scowled, held up his hand and clicked his fingers. At once, yellowish/white lights swirled around him, obscuring him from view. They cleared to reveal his normal appearance, and after pushing aside her wonder at magic being performed right in front of her, Meg smiled slightly. There he was. That was much better.

Chris launched straight back into the argument, folding his arms again and glaring at her furiously.

"You had to have deliberately kept it from me, so that I'd go home none the wiser!" he snarled, his anger building.

"Why on earth would I do that Chris?! Why would I want to send you back into a reality to face your death?! It slipped my mind, that's all! God, all this magic crap is new to me; you can't expect me to remember every little detail immediately!" Meg snapped.

"THIS ISN'T A TINY LITTLE DETAIL MEGAN! THIS IS MY LIFE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, AS WELL AS MY BROTHERS!"

Meg gasped as his roar echoed off the walls. His face was red with fury and eyes blazed with it. She swallowed and unconsciously took a step back, the emotion bringing back all sorts of unpleasant memories, before she realized what she was doing, stopped and held her ground. He was not going to intimidate her!

"I know that!" she hissed. "I know it's your life! You're my favourite character on that damn show, and watching you die the first time tore me apart! If there were anything, _anything_ I can do, so that you don't go back to that, I'd do it! But that doesn't mean I deliberately kept this from you! It honestly just slipped my mind! I would have remembered, probably as soon as we started figuring out how the hell you got here, and I would have told you! I never thought you'd find out about it on your own!"

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO TOLD ME TO RESEARCH!" Chris bellowed.

Meg threw up her hands in exasperation. "I didn't mean for you to find out about the end of the season Christopher! I thought you would just look up the spell!" she barked.

"HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO LOOK UP THE SPELL IF I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT IS?!" he shouted again, and Meg had had enough. The lid on her anger blew, and she found herself shouting right back at him.

"STOP YELLING AT ME! OKAY, I MADE A MISTAKE, I SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU! SO SUE ME! YOU KNOW NOW AND I WON'T DO IT AGAIN! I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING I KNOW FROM NOW ON! NOW GET OFF YOUR BLOODY HIGH HORSE AND CALM THE FUCK DOWN!"

Chris's jaw hit the floor. He stood there, staring at her in disbelief, the wind taken right out of him, as she hissed in a couple of breaths through her teeth and sank down into the sofa, her hand fisted on her heart as if that would slow the speed of its beating. She closed her eyes, trying to settle her temper. She hated getting worked up like this. It put her right back where she was a year ago. She'd only managed it about half way when she opened her eyes again and met his shocked gaze, her hands trembling. She hid them under her knees, hoping he wouldn't notice.

"Please don't shout at me Christopher. Talk to me and tell me how you're feeling, but don't shout at me. Please."

Chris stared at her for a long moment after her too-calm request, before he cautiously nodded.

"Fine. No shouting" he said softly, walking over to sit beside her. She only just stopped herself from flinching, praying he wouldn't notice that either. "But I really need to know everything Meg."

"And you will. We'll get you home, and somehow prevent you from dying as well. But we need to do it calmly."

She got up and headed towards the computer, finally settled again.

"The spell is on here. I'll just call it up."

Chris nodded but didn't say anything. When Meg looked over her shoulder to see why he was so quiet, she found him looking at her thoughtfully. She raised an eyebrow in question.

"Did you know you have an Irish accent when you're angry?" he asked in an amused tone.

Meg grinned. "Well, yeah, that's because I am Irish" she said as she rolled her eyes.

"Christ. Red hair and Irish as well? No wonder you've got a temper" Chris muttered, but he didn't sound angry or annoyed. If anything, he sounded impressed.

"Look who's talking" she muttered as she turned back to the computer, hitting a few keys.

She smiled to herself as she pulled up the story. When she was mad wasn't the only time her accent came through, but he didn't need to know that. She frowned in disappointment at the thought. They'd probably never be in the other situation that brought her Irish out.


	5. Chapter 5 - Those details

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Meg

**A/N - Kirsty: Lol, I'm glad you picked up on that. He's not a bad guy, he's just frustrated at the moment. **** I like the accent thing as well, and it'll come up more in later chapters! *grins at sneaky little tease* Are you Scottish? I love Scotland and Ireland obviously lol. Thanks so much for the review!  
Everyone: I've decided to become more scheduled with updating. It'll be easier for me, as I'm going to start a new story soon and writing two stories at once is hard, and for any guest reviewers if they know which day to go look for a new chapter. So, from now on, I'll update every Friday (or Thursday for some of you). Thanks for reading, following, favouriting and reviewing!**

**Chapter Five – Those details**

_They'd probably never be in the other situation that brought her Irish out._

* * *

"Here it is" she said as she moved the mouse over the screen, highlighting the italics.

"How come it's on the computer?" Chris asked as he got up and walked over to stop behind her. "Most spells are kept in books."

"This isn't your typical spell" Meg muttered. She slipped into the chair to get off her aching feet. She really needed to get better work shoes.

"What is this?" Chris demanded as he bent down over to her shoulder to stare at the screen with narrowed eyes. "This isn't a Wiccan website."

"No, it's not" Meg answered, very much aware of how close he was. His hair was brushing against her cheek and sending shivered down her spine. She swallowed hard as her body began to tingle.

"It's a fanfiction website."

"Fanfiction? What's fanfiction?" Chris asked curiously. He didn't seem to be aware of the effect he was having on his host, which Meg was very grateful for.

"It's exactly what the name says it is. It's fiction written by fans of books, TV shows, movies, comics and a whole heap of other things. They write stories about the characters and situations, and what they wish or think should happen. It's a great way to get a fix of a favourite show between episodes or to carry on an obsession after the show has been cancelled, the book series finished, or if you're waiting for the next movie."

"Really?" the intrigued-sounding witch asked. Meg flicked her eyes over to him, wondering at the interest in his tone. She quickly looked away as it was reaffirmed just how close he was.

"Yes, really."

"Have you written any?"

Meg blinked in surprise at the question. Why would he ask that? She flicked her eyes over again, sucking in a sharp breath when they connected with deep green.

"N-no" she whispered before hurriedly clearing her throat and looking away. Damn it. Why did his eyes have to be so beautiful?

"No" she repeated, looking back at the computer screen. "I'm happy with just reading at the moment."

"If you say so" Chris murmured, his tone full of scepticism. Meg scowled. Why wouldn't he believe her? Just because she didn't really believe herself when she said it, didn't mean that he shouldn't. He didn't even know her. How was he able to pick up when she was lying?

She put it out of her mind and got up off the chair, offering it to the man beside her so he could see the spell for himself. Chris took the chair without a word, his focus entirely on the computer, and she waited on the sofa in silence as he read over the spell. She sat quietly, watching him, taking the opportunity to look while his attention was somewhere else, and she smiled in amusement when his expression became more and more unimpressed.

"_T__his_ worked? _This _was what brought me here?" he finally asked, spinning the chair round to stare at her in disbelief.

"Yup, that's what bought you here" Meg answered, feeling a grin spread across her face. Chris laughed in amazement, the end of the sound turning into a scoff.

"But it doesn't even make sense! 'Let him come to learn what must, to defeat what needs and complete the just'? What the hell is 'the just'? And what am I defeating?"

"I have no idea" Meg answered, silently taking fact of the way he immediately assumed the 'him' in the spell was, well, him.

"Am I going to have to fight something while I'm here? Because I really don't have time for that! I need to get back to my reality and stop Gideon from turning Wyatt! And what do I need to learn?!"

Meg's amusement began to fade as her guest started winding himself up. She sighed, hoping he wasn't going to start shouting again.

"I know that Chris. I can't give you the answer to those questions. Calm down, you will get home. We just need to figure out how."

Chris scowled and turned back to the computer, reading the spell again and shaking his head.

"I just don't understand it. I mean, this is made up right?"

"Well I certainly don't remember it being in any of the seasons, or the comics either" Meg murmured. She squinted her eyes as she thought back.

"Nope, it hasn't come out of Charmed" she said decisively. She looked up again when Chris didn't answer, to find him watching her. She raised her brows in question.

"You really like that show."

"Yes. I do" she said slowly. "Are you okay?"

He nodded and turned back to the computer, his eyes guarded. Meg frowned at his back. She should be used to him being so closed mouthed. After all, it had taken him dying for him to connect properly with his father.

Speaking of his father…

"How did you find out about the end of the season anyway?" she asked him. Chris hit a few buttons and the printer started to hum, spitting out the page with the spell on it in hardcopy. He didn't look at her.

"It was the next episode on the DVD you were watching. I just turned it on and pressed play."

Meg couldn't help it. She began to laugh.

Her eyes widened in surprise, her mind blank over the fact that something as simple as leaving a DVD in the player could cause so much stress. A small chuckle erupted in her chest and burst out of her mouth, quickly escalating until she was all but falling off the sofa with laughter.

Chris spun the chair around again and stared at her with a bewildered expression on his face. As she continued to laugh, the expression changed, until he was looking at her carefully, worry lighting his eyes.

"Ah, Meg? What's so funny?"

She watched him stare at her as if she was one egg short of a full basket, and just laughed harder, her amusement hitching when she felt him take her hand. She hadn't even realized he'd moved

"Megan? Do you need to take your medication or something?"

Her laughter died off as bafflement replaced it. _He was holding her hand._ Take her medication? _He was holding her hand. _What was he talking about? _He was holding her hand!_

_Shut up Meg! So what if he's holding your hand? It's a tiny bit of contact and not that big a deal! Stop acting like a love-sick teenager, for God's sake, before he notices!_

"You know, for your diabetes? Do you need your medication or something to eat?"

A light dawned. He thought her hysterics were a symptom and wanted to make sure she wouldn't keel over on him. She frowned as warmth spread through her, confusion sprinting right along behind it. She met Chris's eyes when he squeezed her hand to get her attention.

"No, Christopher, I don't need any medication. I was only diagnosed a few years back and the disease hasn't progressed that far yet. I just thought your comment was funny, that's all."

"Enough to laugh like a madman?" Chris commented with a peaked brow as relief flew through his eyes. Meg smiled, chuckling once more.

"Well, I am hungry again and a little tired, so that may have contributed to it. My 'hysterics' as others have called them, show up when I'm stressed, tired and/or hungry. It's been a long couple of days."

"So we'll eat then" Chris said, letting go of her hand and standing up. "And then you can go to bed."

Meg watched him in bemusement. He was being nice. Why was he being nice? It was weird.

"What?" Chris asked as he frowned at her.

Meg grinned. "Are you taking care of me Christopher?"

Chris's eyes widened and he suddenly looked embarrassed, his weight sifting from foot to foot. Meg had the random thought that he looked adorable when he was self-conscious. He scowled at the floor.

"Yeah, well, only because I need you to be on top of your game" he muttered. Meg's grin faded at his comment. That probably was the reason.

"What have you got to eat?" Chris asked as he turned towards the kitchen.

"I'll do it" Meg said hurriedly, jumping off the sofa. Chris shrugged and took her place as she headed in the direction of where the food should have been. She didn't want him to see the state of her cupboards. I'll he'd see if he opened them was tumbleweeds. She really needed to go shopping.

Well versed as making something out of nothing, she raided her dwindling fridge and quickly but together salami, pickle and cheese sandwiches. She walked back into the sitting room to see Chris holding the season seven DVD case, about to press play.

"Stop!" she barked. Chris froze.

"What? What is it?"

"You can't watch anymore Christopher! You shouldn't already know what you do know! If you find out what happens next, it could change everything!"

Chris's jaw dropped and he looked at her in disbelief. "What? But I already know the important things, including the fact that we win! Surely knowing more won't do any more damage!"

"You know who's after Wyatt and your fate, but you don't know what happens after that! You can't find out anymore Chris, not if you want to go back to a changed future!"

"Why not?" he demanded.

Meg opened her mouth and closed it again, a grimace of frustration twisting her features.

"I have no idea" she said on a sigh, sitting down on the sofa and handing him his sandwich. "I was just following what you're always telling the sisters."

She smirked when Chris raised an eyebrow.

"Future Consequences" she quoted, laughing when Chris scowled at her. "You've found out too much already. If we have any chance of getting you home to stop Gideon, we have to work with what we already know, and try not to change anything else."

She cocked her head to the side and widened her eyes.

"You can't tell me that if you learnt something bad was going to happen to your mother or aunts, you wouldn't try your best to stop it, can you?"

"Is something bad going to happen to them?"

Meg shook her head. "Nope, not going to work. Can't tell you that, nor can you watch any more episodes. Or" she said, looking at the computer, "go on the net and look them up."

Chris looked away and grumbled, his familiar scowl firmly in place. Meg frowned.

"Promise me Christopher. Promise me you won't go looking for anything apart from info on the spell."

Chris looked at her. "How do you know I'll keep the promise?"

"Because you always do" Meg said simply, smirking again when Chris's scowl returned. "Now, promise."

Chris stared at her silently, as if he was assessing the level of her seriousness. Finally, he looked away, moving his shoulders agitatedly.

"Fine, I promise" he muttered. Meg grinned.

"Now you know how the sisters feel" she said, laughing loudly when Chris glared at her.

"Man, I really hope I wasn't this annoying."

"Hope all you like Christopher, but believe me, it doesn't work" Meg said, grinning when he began to grumble again.

~0~

Meg quickly finished her meal, wanting to get some shuteye. Even though she had the day off the next day, she didn't want to spend all of it in bed. She really needed to get out and about and do some things, not to mention they needed to research the spell. She'd just put her plate in the kitchen and called goodnight to Chris, heading down the stairs, when he stopped her.

"Meg?"

"Yeah?" she answered, looking back over her shoulder. Her brows drew together when she saw him looking uncomfortable again. _Man. He really is cute when he shifts in his seat. _

Shaking her head at her thoughts, she turned to face him.

"I, ah… I was wondering how and when the sisters found out who I am?"

Meg stilled. Oh God. Now what did she do? She frowned as she told herself off for not considering that he might have other questions, this maybe being one of them. She sighed and walked back up the stairs.

"I'm not sure that's something you should know Chris."

Chris's mouth pursed into something that looked a lot like a pout. Meg did her best not to stare.

"I knew you were going to say that" he muttered. Meg couldn't help throwing him a sympathetic look, one he didn't catch.

"But it does bring up a good point" she mused as she sat back down beside him. "It might be best if we figure out what part of the season you've come from. You know, so we know where you've got to go back to, and so I don't inadvertently step on any toes."

Chris scowled but nodded, and Meg took a deep breath.

"So, obviously, the sisters and Leo don't know who you are yet?"

"No" Chris muttered.

"So before The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell" she murmured. She ignored Chris when he looked at her curiously. She took another deep breath, preparing herself to ask the next question. It would be incredibly awkward.

"Umm, has… ah…" she faulted.

"Spit it out Meg" Chris ordered, watching her with narrowed eyes. Meg took a third deep, rather shaky breath.

"Has… Bianca…?"

"Has she betrayed me yet and died by my brother's hand? Yes, she has."

Meg's eyes widened at the completely calm and indifferent way he said that sentence. As if he didn't care at all. But she knew he did. He'd loved Bianca, he'd been going to marry her.

She frowned. Chris was a naturally private person. He had to be. It was the only way he would have been able to go back to the past, and act like the sisters and Leo were nothing to him. He was really good at hiding his feeling. That is until he wasn't. Spin City had proved that.

Deciding not to dwell on it, she quickly moved on.

"Okay, so we're beyond Chris Crossed. What's the last thing you remember before arriving here?"

Chris sighed, leaning back against the couch and rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hands tiredly. Meg felt sympathy flow through her again, but did her best not to let it show, knowing he wouldn't appreciate seeing it.

"We'd just vanquished The Order and gotten Wyatt back-'

"And the spell that created the perfect man ended" Meg said with dawning comprehension, her unfocused gaze on the season seven menu that was still frozen on the TV screen. "Prince Charmed. You came from the end of Prince Charmed."

Her head shot round to him when she remembered what Piper had said during that episode. His mother had told him she never wanted to see him again. Sure, she hadn't known who he was, still didn't, but it still had to have hurt. The mother who had died when he was fourteen, kicking him out of the house? Yeah, that's got to sting.

She suddenly remembered his comment when she said anyone would be worried about someone who disappeared without letting them know where they were going. His answer had been _not everyone._

Meg frowned, battling the urge to hug him. That was something else he wouldn't appreciate.

Chris was frowning back at her as she stared at him. "What? Do I have crap on my face or something?"

"No. It's nothing. Don't worry about it. So now we know where to send you back to. Now that we do, I'm going to bed" she said, getting up again quite abruptly. Chris nodded slowly, his brow creased in confusion as he watched her rapid movements.

Meg headed for the stairs again, pausing right at the top and hesitating, before looking back over her shoulder. She couldn't just leave it at that.

"Chris, I'm really sorry about Bianca" she said softly. Chris's head came up studying the DVD case, and he stared at her for a second before he shrugged nonchalantly.

"She made her bed" he said, turning away. Meg shook her head.

"She died. It must have hurt" she murmured. Chris's shoulders stilled.

"Goodnight Meg" he said firmly, lying down on the sofa and not looking at her. Meg sighed and turned back round.

"Night Chris."


	6. Chapter 6 - Hints

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Meg

**Chapter Six – Hints**

"_She died. It must have hurt" she murmured. Chris's shoulders stilled. _

"_Goodnight Meg" he said firmly, lying down on the sofa and not looking at her. Meg sighed and turned back round._

"_Night Chris."_

* * *

Meg woke suddenly the next morning, her ears straining to pick up the little inconsistency that had brought her so abruptly out of a dreamless sleep. She sat up; her face pointed upwards and her head cocked to the side.

_Clack. Clack, clack, clack. Clack, clack… clack, clack, clack, clack. _

Her eyes narrowed as she listened hard. What was that?

The annoying clacking was unexpectedly accompanied by a dark, frustrated muttering, and Meg groaned, falling back down on the bed. Chris! A quick glance showed that it was only eight in the morning, making her groan again. Why was he up this early? What use would he have for the computer at this time of the day?

_The computer… Hold on. No. He's not…?_

Meg shot out of bed and ran full tilt up the stairs. She stopped at the top like she'd hit an invisible wall, the upper half of her body swaying forward and back, as her eyes locked onto the figure hunched over the computer, tapping on the keys and growling to himself.

"Christopher Perry Halliwell, you're not going back on your promise, are you?"

The hunchback jumped about a foot in the air and swung round to stare at her in shock. Unfortunately, his movement pushed the chair he was sitting on away from him just a tiny bit, so that when he made contact with it again, it was already moving.

Ending up with a red-faced witch lying on the floor, scowling at her.

Meg couldn't stop the amused grin from spreading across her face, but she did have enough sense not to let her laughter free.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up" Chris grumbled as he got to his feet and dusted himself off. "What the hell do you think you're doing anyway, scaring me like that?"

"I'm surprised I can scare you. Aren't you supposed to have super witchy instincts or something?" Meg teased. Chris scowled further.

"For demons maybe, not for annoying little Irish woman who like to sneak up on people" he muttered.

"Hey, I'm not little!" Meg protested. She was 5ft 7! That wasn't little!

"Yes you are" Chris grumbled. Meg put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"You never answered my question Christopher."

"I don't think I need to answer your question _Megan._ Wasn't it you who said I don't break my promises, or did I just imagine that?"

Meg pursed her lips as he bent over the computer again and glanced at her over his shoulder, his eyebrow raised. She sighed.

"No Chris, you didn't imagine that. Point taken" she said. She rolled her eyes at his smirk and walked over until she could read over his shoulder.

"What are you up to then? And why do you have to do it at this ungodly hour of the morning? I was asleep until you incessant key clacking woke me up!"

"If you got a computer that wasn't as old as the dinosaurs, the keys wouldn't clack and you could still be asleep" Chris pointed out, his smirk still heavy in his voice. Meg frowned.

"How about you give me the money for that, and we'll all be happy?" she suggested cheerfully and Chris snorted.

"Don't have any more than you do" he muttered before sighing. "I'm trying to find out if that spell was based on any type of reality."

"Any type of reality? I don't understand" Meg said with a frown.

"Most original spells, especially similar ones that basically do a different version of the same thing, are based one ones that already exist. I was trying to find out if the author of this story made the spell up on the spot, if they based it on something they saw or read somewhere and changed it, or just copied it straight out."

"Why don't I ask them?"

"You can do that?" Chris asked in a surprised voice, standing up fully and turning to face her. Meg's eyes widened as the movement brought him within a hair's breadth of her – he must not have realized how close she'd gotten, in her desire to know what he was up to. They were close enough that if Meg took a deep breathe, her chest would brush his. She swallowed hard at that fact, her blood heating and rising to stain her cheeks. Chris stilled as well, and Meg's eyes widened further as their gazes clashed, and she read what was slowly beginning to blaze deep within the green.

_Oh my…_

And then the moment was over. The shutters came down on Chris's expression, and he took a large, almost exaggerated step around her. Meg's breathe shuddered out of her as her heart pounded like it was trying to escape its confinement.

_What was that? What the hell was that? _

"You can contact the author?" Chris asked casually as he wandered over to the sofa and began tidying up his bedding, as if the electricity that had surged between them a moment ago never existed. Meg swallowed and licked her lips, her mouth dry as dust. She cleared her throat.

"A-ah yeah. You can. I'll just message them. Won't take a second. It may take them a while to get back to me though" she warned, taking her cue from him and pretending nothing had happened. And nothing had. Not really.

_Sure, if you call insane chemistry nothing…_

_Shut up! Nothing happened! Nothing _can_ happen! He's going back to his own reality and I'm staying here! So let's all just move past this, shall we, and get on with getting him home!_

Meg shook her head as she sat on the computer chair, brought up the website and clicked on the author's profile. As clichéd as it sounded, with Chris being here it was like having an angel sitting on one shoulder, and a devil on the other. One sensible side, one reckless.

One heart, one head.

She knew from experience what it was like to embrace her reckless side, her heart in essence. She'd come out of that broken, and she didn't intend to put herself in that position again anytime soon. Especially with someone who shouldn't exist outside of a TV screen.

_Besides, there's no guarantee that what you saw was real. You could have been imagining things. You've done it before. Just let it go._

Resolving to do just that, she quickly typed a message to the author, asking if they'd made up the spell from scratch, or if it was something they'd seen somewhere and elaborated on. She sent the message and turned to Chris, trying her best to ignore the way her blood surged when she saw him sitting on the sofa, watching her with a hooded expression.

"Message sent. We just have to wait for a reply now" she said, as upbeat as possible. Chris smiled, the movement doing nothing to distil the starkness of his eyes.

"Good. The sooner I get back to the Manor, the better" he said. Meg grimaced and got up to make some coffee, not even entertaining the idea of going back to bed. Well if that didn't let her know exactly where she stood with him, she didn't know what would.

~0~

After drowning herself, and the blue-ness that was keeping her company, in coffee, Meg took a shower, dressing casually in body-conforming jeans and hoodie. She deliberately didn't think of the fact that what she'd chosen was the outfit she wore when she wanted to look good, but didn't want anyone to know she was trying to look good. She dried and brushed her hair until it shone, leaving it falling in thick curls, and applied the tiniest bit of makeup, shoving away the thought that she never wore makeup on her days off. She finally slipped on her favourite boots – black, high-heeled and shiny, real leather, the only thing she'd splurged on in a long time.

After a final look in the mirror, she nodded in satisfaction and headed back up the stairs. She only just stopped herself from smirking when Chris looked up at her from contemplating the sixth season with a frown, his eyes widened in surprise and what she liked to think was appreciation when he saw her. She knew she could look semi-passable when she put in some effort. It was just that half the time she couldn't be bothered. Didn't seem like there was a point.

_So Chris is a point?_

She frowned, brushing that thought aside. She wasn't trying to get his attention. She really wasn't. She'd just felt like dressing up a bit today.

_Yeah, because that's what you do. Dress up just because you feel like it._

Her frown deepened and she picked up her keys, determined to derail her irritating thoughts with mundane household tasks. She looked at Chris, her brows pulled down.

"I need to go grocery shopping and do a couple of other things, including getting you a key. Are you coming?"

Chris's familiar scowl was immediately back in place.

"You're going out? What about researching the spell?"

"There's isn't really anything more we can do until we hear back from the author" Meg said on a sigh. "You didn't find anything on the net, did you?"

"No" Chris grumbled. "But I only looked for an hour or so."

"An hour or so?" Meg said, disbelief ringing through her tone. "Chris, we went to bed at three in the morning! Why did you only get four hours sleep?"

"I don't need much sleep" Chris muttered. "Besides, I could say the same about you! You only got an hour more than me!"

"Because your annoying clacking woke me up!" she snapped, before sighing and shaking her head. "But that's beside the point. We can't do much more at the moment and I thought we could check out the library and a few Wiccan stores along the way. You in?"

Chris opened his mouth and then hesitated, something she couldn't read running through his eyes before it was gone. Meg frowned.

"No. I'll, ah, just stay here and keep up the research" he said.

Hurt shot through Meg, which she impatiently pushed away. He just wanted to get home. It was nothing personal.

It was harder to convince herself of that then she thought it would be.

"Fine. I'll be most of the day" she said as she headed for the front door. "Anything you want for dinner?"

"Not really. You don't have to cook for me. You've got work tonight, haven't you?"

"No" she called back, pausing at the door. "Night off. So I'll be home and we can devote this evening to that research you seem to fond of."

She closed the door before he could reply, frowning to herself as she walked to her car. She shouldn't take her hurt feelings out on him. He only wanted to get home. Back to where he belonged, so he could save his brother and hopefully go back to a changed future, instead of dying on his mother's bed. That was their ultimate goal. Him going home and her continuing to live her own life.

She got through her shopping quickly, not lingering as she usually would. She found herself looking forward to looking up Wiccan books and browsing through Wiccan stores. It wasn't something she'd really ever thought of taking past watching Charmed. She hadn't been interested and her upbringing had put her off as well, but with Chris being here… well it had succeeded in changing her mind.

She was just about to pull out of the supermarket car park, when she got a phone call. Five minutes later, she pushed end with a smile on her face. Danni was back!

~0~

"Well, bugger it. You just look even better than the last time I saw you. Now how you manage to do that, hmm?"

Meg laughed at the tiny brunette, running over and throwing her arms around her neck. The two women hugged each other fiercely, rocking form side to side in their exuberance.

"Man, it's good to see you" Meg murmured as she pulled back.

"You too honeybunch. Damn good. Now sit down and tell Aunty Danni what you've been up to this past month" the bullet of a woman ordered.

Meg laughed again and did as she was told, sitting at the table of her and Danni's favourite café. Danni Montag (no relation to Heidi Montag, thank you very much! – her words, not Meg's, and very passionate ones at that), was the first friend Meg had made when she moved to New York, and she'd turned out to be the best one as well. She'd lived in the apartment above until a few months back, when she moved in with her boyfriend Frank. The two of them had decided to do a very short OE – or go on a very long holiday depending on your view – and Meg hadn't seen her in the flesh in four weeks.

It was the longest she'd ever gone not seeing her in the time they'd known each other, and she really hadn't expected to miss her so much.

"So? Spill chickadee!"

"Nothing much to spill" Meg chuckled. "My life isn't as exciting as yours Danni. You should be spilling to me! How were the Maldives?"

"Truly awe-inspiring my friend. I did my happy dance the second the plane touched down. Took Frank ten minutes to get me inside the terminal!"

Meg laughed once again and shook her head, imagining the amused frustration that would have been plastered all over Frank's face at his girlfriend's antics. The love the slightly serious man had for the woman half his size was vast – he always said that it had to be, to put up with what Danni dealt out on a daily basis. But Meg knew he wouldn't have it any other way, just as she knew that Danni would give up her 'Bunny-Bear' for all the money in the world.

If Meg had ever needed an example of a good relationship, those two wouldn't have just fit the bill, they would have hugged it.

"I'm glad you had a good time, but I'm even more glad your back" Meg said, really meaning it. Danni's blue eye's narrowed.

"That sounds like something to talk about. What's up M?"

"Oh, nothing. I just missed you-"

"Meg?"

Meg's eyes widened and she turned round to meet the eyes of Chris's glamour. He was holding himself very still, almost anticipating, as if he was expecting an attack any moment, and his searching eyes only boosted this theory. They were constantly moving around the area, probing dark corners and running over faces suspiciously.

"Christopher? What are you doing here?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he answered, urgency in his voice. Meg frowned.

"Ah…" she said as she looked at her friend, who was watching wide-eyed.

"Hey, don't mind me. I'll just wait here for you to get back and spill the deets" she said pointedly. Meg sighed.

"Okay, fine, we won't be lo-hey!"

Chris reached out and grabbed her hand, tugging her from the chair and dragging her after him as he wound his way through the seating. He stopped under the awning above the entrance to the café. Meg glared at him.

"Just what do you think you're doing, dragging me off like tha-"

"Are you okay?"

The question shut Meg right up. She frowned at him in confusion as his eyes continued their searching. What was he looking for?

"I'm fine! What's wrong with you?"

"There's danger around you" Chris said abruptly and Meg sucked in a sharp breath.

"What? What are you talking about? How do you know?"

"I can sense it" he said, still searching. "I came as soon as I did."

"You can sense it? How? And how'd you know where I was?"

"I don't know. I seem to be able to know where you are at all times, and can go to you when I need to."

"So I'm like your charge? But I'm not a witch!" Meg exclaimed. "How is that even possible?!"

"Like I said, I don't know! But that doesn't matter at the moment. There's danger around you. We need to get you out of here" he said with a scowl.

She frowned. "Leave? I can't! I haven't seen Danni in a month!"

"Oh, right, seeing your friend that you can very easily see tomorrow is _so_ much more important than your safety!" Chris scorned sarcastically, his eyes meeting hers.

Meg sighed when she read the irritation in them, and deep down, the worry. She knew it always frustrated Chris when the sisters never did what he wanted them to do, especially when it concerned theirs or Wyatt's safety. They were a large part of the reason why his character came across as extremely neurotic.

"Point taken" she grumbled. "But I have to go back and say goodbye, and probably introduce you as well. She won't let me get away with cutting out on her without even a tiny bit of an explanation."

"Fine. Let's go" he snapped, taking her hand again and tugging her back towards the table. Meg frowned slightly, noticing the way his body seemed to be angled in front of hers. She shook her head. Did he really expect a demon to come jumping out of nowhere, fireball in hand?

_Of course he does! You've seen the reality he lived in before he came back! He had to be on his toes 24/7 in that time! Just because he's mellowed a little with being in the sister's time period, doesn't mean he still doesn't have those instincts!_

Meg's frown deepened, and in that moment she vowed that she would make sure Chris had some fun while he was here. He was only 22-years-old for God's sake! He needed to live a little!

Danni perked up the instant they stopped by the table, her curious eyes going from her friend to the mysterious stranger and back again repeatedly. Meg sent her an apologetic look.

"Danni, I have to go. Something's come up. Come to the pub tomorrow night? We can catch up over discounted drinks" she suggested, hoping to get away with not introducing Chris.

"Oh. Okay. Sure, I can do that" Danni answered. She then turned directly to Chris. "Who are you and why are you holding Meg's hand?"

Meg snorted. She should have known she wouldn't be able to get away with it. Chris's eyes widened and he scowled at the tiny creature in front of them, but Danni wasn't intimidated. She just folded her arms and met his gaze steadily. Slowly, intrigue and something that looked a lot like reluctant respect filled his gaze. The corner of his mouth pulled up, and he held out his hand, the other still clutching Meg's tightly.

"Chris Perry. I'm a friend of Meg's" he said.

"Friend. Right. And that's why you're holding on to her for dear life" Danni answered dryly. Meg grimaced as she took his hand and shook it. She could see a grilling coming on sometime in the near future.

"Danniella Montag. I really am a friend of Meg's. You can call me Danni."

"Nice to meet you. We have to go" Chris said, stepping back from the table and tugging on Meg's hand once again. Danni's eyes widened and amusement ran through them.

"You do that. I'll see you tomorrow night Meg, where I _will_ be getting all those deets!"

"See you!" Meg called back over her shoulder, almost running to keep up with Chris. She tugged on the hand holding hers in annoyance.

"Slow down, would you? I don't have as long legs as you do!"

"No" Chris said. "Where's your car?"

"Just around the corner" she answered with a sigh and a shake of her head.

"This would be a lot easier if I could just orb you home" he grumbled, opening the driver door and climbing in when they reached it. Meg opened her mouth to protest and then shrugged. He wanted to drive, he could drive. No skin off her back.

"Keys" he demanded. Meg handed them over with another frown. Chris silently started the engine and pulled out into traffic.

"You couldn't orb the sisters wherever you wanted in the show either" Meg pointed out. "Gotta keep magic a secret, remember? And we're going home? What about the Wiccan books?"

"They can wait" Chris said, making Meg's brows wing, before closing his mouth and not saying anything else the entire ride home.

~0~

Meg began cursing the second they walked in the door.

"What? What is it?" Chris demanded, crowding in close behind her. Her breath hitched as she felt his front against her back.

"Ah, n-nothing. I just forgot your key."

"It's not that important, is it?" he asked, moving out from behind her when he realized there wasn't any danger. Meg swallowed her disappointment.

"It kinda is Chris. Unless you want to go everywhere with me, which I'm sure you don't. You can't do what you've just done _again_, and leave the place unlocked. My whole life is in this apartment."

"They're just possessions" Chris muttered.

"Says the man who doesn't have any" she shot back with a glare. Chris sighed.

"Fine. Tell me where to go, and I'll go get it."

"You don't have to do that" Meg said.

"Yes I do. You're right, I don't want to have to go everywhere with you" he answered with a small smile. Meg snorted.

"Fine then. Here" she said, holding out her key and, after ruffling around in her purse, a twenty-dollar bill. "This should cover it. The place is on the other side of the park."

Chris took the key, deliberately ignoring the money.

"I won't be long. Close and lock the door, and don't leave the apartment" he ordered, orbing out before she could protest his bossiness, as well as him leaving the money. She sighed and did what he said. Chris did have whitelighter instincts. If he said there was danger, he probably wasn't overreacting.

She was in the process of trying to figure out how she was going to get the groceries in the house without actually leaving it, when there was a knock at the door. She frowned and went to answer it. Who could that be?

She froze, her eyes saucering and heart thumping like a jack-hammer when she saw who it was. Her hand tightened on the doorframe until her knuckles turned white, as something she hadn't felt for a very long time pulsed through her veins. Something she'd been positive she'd never feel again.

Fear.

"Hello Meggy" the man on the other side of the door said with a cruel smile.


	7. Chapter 7 - White knight

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Meg and Danni

**Kirsty: Aww, thanks for that! Made my day! And yes, they do make a great couple if I do say so myself lol. Thanks for reviewing!  
****  
A/N – Okay, I'm advising a WARNING for this chapter. It has contents that may be a TRIGGER for some people. Please read with caution and if you get so far and find you can't continue, but still want to know what happens, review or PM me and I'll give you an overview. Now with that done, on with the story!**

**Chapter Seven – White knight**

_She froze, her eyes saucering and heart thumping like a jack-hammer when she saw who it was. Her hand tightened on the doorframe until her knuckles turned white, as something she hadn't felt for a very long time pulsed through her veins. Something she'd been positive she'd never feel again._

_Fear._

"_Hello Meggy" the man on the other side of the door said with a cruel smile._

* * *

"Fergus" she whispered through numb lips. Jesus, no. Not after all this time. Not after all the trouble she'd gone to, to make sure he couldn't find her. Where had she gone wrong?

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" the man purred, his eyes hard and his heavy Irish accent making her head feel like it was being squeezed in a vice. Meg swallowed, trying to keep her reaction under wraps. Men like Fergus fed off fear.

"No" she said bluntly, straightening her spine. This was her territory, not his. "No, I'm not. You're not welcome here Fergus."

"Now Meggy, is that any way to speak to your husband?"

"Ex-husband" she said automatically, and watched those crystal eyes that she'd once found stunning, darken with barely suppressed anger.

"Now that's just rude. How many times have I told you not to be rude? You will keep a civil tongue in your head, or I'll keep it in for you."

Meg stilled at the familiar threat, and taking advantage of this, Fergus took a step forward, crowding up in close to her. Meg couldn't help the way she instinctively backed away from him, bone-deep reflexes getting the better of her. Fergus smirked as she did, used his shoulder to roughly shove his way further past her, and stepped inside the apartment. His lip curled in distain as he looked around, while Meg pulled herself off the wall, which his shoulder had shoved her into, trying not to panic.

"Stop! Goddamn it Fergus! What are you doing? Get out of my house!"

"This, Meggy? _This _is what you've come to? What you ran away from me for?"

"I didn't run away" Meg said, teeth clenched, though she had. She'd run as far and as fast as she could, and she really regretted not doing it sooner. Fergus ignored her.

"This place is a dump. I won't have you staying here. Go get your things, we're leaving. You'll come back where you belong."

_No. No, no, no, no, no._

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

Meg's eyes widened and she began to tremble, memories swimming in her head, as she watched the broad back in front of her go very, very still. The man, whom she'd once thought the love of her life, turned around slowly, his aristocratic, fallen angel features twisting into a very ugly expression. She swallowed hard, fear pitching through her blood again, as he took slow, deliberate steps towards her. It took everything she had not to run.

"What did you just say? You're not… _defying _me are you, Meggy?"

He was right up in her face as he said it, and his venomous hiss almost brought her to her knees. She could feel the rage pumping off him, and her sense of foreboding tripled.

Her ex reacted in one of two different ways when he didn't get what he wanted. She chewed on her bottom lip anxiously and prayed that he was in the verbal mood.

That thought made her breath pick up in pace until she was close to hyperventilating, but she didn't back down. She'd spent two years of her life backing down from him, and that still hadn't stopped him from doing what he wanted to do.

What he enjoyed doing.

She took a deep breath, once again silently praying. If Chris got back while Fergus was still there, nothing untoward would happen. Fergus was a very private person and really didn't like having an audience. She crossed her arms around herself defensively and met the horrible fury in his eyes as steadily as she could. She needed to say what she'd always planned on saying if she ever had the chance, and then he needed to leave and never come back.

"I am not yours to push around anymore Fergus. We are no longer married. You will never have me under your thumb again. As I said, I'm not going anywhere with you. This is my home, my _life,_ and you're not part of it. Not anymore. Now you better leave, or I'll call the cops and have you arrested for trespassing."

She never even saw it coming, though she should have. A year without being around the deranged man in front of her had dulled her sharply honed instincts far too much, so that when Fergus lifted his hand, she didn't react quick enough. She wasn't able to get out of the way when he pulled back his fist and punched her so hard, she literally went flying.

Her pained scream ricocheted through the room as she flew backwards, crashing into the solid wall behind her headfirst. She groaned piteously as she slid down the wall to pool on the floor, fading in and out of consciousness as a familiar pain that she hadn't felt in twelve months poured through her system. She could feel blood sliding down her cheek from the cut her exes ring had made in her skin, and if she had to guess, she would say that he'd broken her cheekbone as well, not to mention the agonizing waves coming from the base of her skull. She coughed and choked, groaning again as she tried to get herself together and pull herself up. She would not cower. Not again.

_Guess he wasn't in the mood to be verbal. God._

_Chris, where are you?_

She gasped as she was suddenly jerked up by the lapel of her shirt. She blinked dazedly into the coldest eyes she had ever seen, gurgling when he shook her like a rag-doll.

"You little bitch! Just who the hell do you think you are?! Think you can speak to _me _like that?! You worthless piece of shit! Lording around, sitting in public with your little friends, rubbing the fact that you think you're better than me in my face! You're nothing, you hear me? _Nothing!_ You think that a piece of paper can end us? Nothing can! You need to learn who you belong to, and I'm _so_ going to enjoy teaching you! Now stop acting like the dog you are, get up off the floor and go get your stuff before you make me really angry!"

He flung her violently backwards and she hit the floor hard, slamming her already concussed head on the ground. She whimpered as her vision turned blue and the room tilted on its axis, her breath sticking in her lungs. Jesus, she hurt. She hurt so much. How did he find her? How did he-

_Blue? Think, Meg, think! Get your head in the game! Why would everything turn blue?_

She very slowly turned her head as some type of noise began making itself known, getting louder and louder the harder she forced herself to listen. She squinted through the clouds of pain in her mind, and even though she was having a hard time focusing, what she saw made her blink.

Chris was systematically ramming his fists into Fergus's face. Constantly slamming them down, over and over. He was bent over Fergus as the man cowered on the floor, beating him repeatedly, a snarl of rage twisting his features and turning his beautiful green eyes into something unrecognizable. He was the source of the sound she was hearing, a vicious animal-like growl escaping his lips as he beat her ex-husband to a bloody pulp.

And he didn't look like he was going to stop anytime soon.

_No. He has to stop. He'll kill him!_

"Chris… stop. Please…" she whispered as she closed her eyes against the gut-churning spinning the world had decided to start making her live through. She could still hear the growling, so she figured either he hadn't heard her, or was just ignoring her.

"Chris… you have to… stop. You'll… kill him."

"I don't care" Chris snarled, the sound of fists continuously meeting flesh making her feel worse. She swallowed hard, trying to stop herself from ejecting everything she'd eaten that day.

"Yes you do" she moaned. "You do. Please stop. No... Oh God… no glamour. Please Christopher…"

She moaned again as the world spun round, getting faster and faster. It was dragging her under. She could feel it, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She had to stop him first. She managed to pull herself up onto her hands and knees and stagger forward slightly, before she collapsed in a heap.

"Christopher…"

"Hey, hey, it's okay, I've stopped. I've stopped Meg. Meg? Meg!"

His panicked voice fading into nothing, and blackness poured down over her. She recognized the symptoms, and now that he was finally listening to her, she let herself embrace it.

~0~

Meg frowned, turning her head to the side to try to escape the annoying, incredibly bubbly, whispered chatter currently pulling her back to consciousness. That it was a woman was self-explanatory, but what she couldn't understand was why the woman seemed to be talking to her like she was five years old instead of thirty. And why was she whispering? Her voice was upbeat and cheery, and even at the low volume; it was so grating, it made Meg want to sink right back down again.

"…and we'll get you fixed right up, don't you worry about a thing sweetums! You'll be out of here in no time, I promise! You'll be right as rain and- oh, are you waking? You are! Good girl! Open those eyes lovie! Come on, that's it!"

Meg grimaced and her eyes blinked open, meeting the bright, dancing gaze of the strange woman standing above her. A wide grin broke across the woman's face as Meg did as she was told.

"Good girl! Now you stay right there missy, while I go get your doctor. You gave everyone quite a fright lovie! I'll be right back!"

Suddenly the woman was gone from her line of vision, and Meg sighed in relief. That voice was just too much on top of the splitting headache she already had. Her eyes flicked across the room when she heard a familiar chuckle.

"Now you know how _we _feel" a voice murmured and Meg squinted, trying to focus past the pain.

"Danni?"

"Yup, it's me" the tiny brunette said as she moved closer to the bed Meg only just realized she was lying in. "She was right about one thing though. You did give us one hell of a fright."

"Where am I?" Meg groaned, her hand going to her head.

"In hospital, honeybunch" Danni answered, for some reason whispering as the other woman, who must have been a nurse, had as well. She reached out and took the hand Meg held to her aching head, squeezing it tightly.

"Your man got you here quickly, but you've still been asleep for about 24 hours, hence the scare. It's apparently just a concussion, though you should have heard Chris when the doctor said the word 'just'. Talk about not a happy chappy."

"He's not my man. And why are you whispering?" Meg asked tiredly. 24 hours? Then why did she feel like she hadn't slept in days?

"Coz your man – and after this there's no way in hell you can convince me that he isn't yours – needs to sleep as much as you do" she answered, nodding towards the other side of the room. Meg carefully turned her head, blinking when she saw Chris in his glamour form, currently sprawled awkwardly in a metal chair, deeply asleep.

The chair was far too small for his lanky frame, but that didn't seem to matter. His chest was rising and falling steadily, his hands hanging over the armrests, and Meg's eyes widened when she saw the heavy bandages covering his knuckles. Danni followed her gaze and smirked in satisfaction.

"I only just managed to convince him to close his eyes and try to sleep. It took both Frank and I, as well as that chirpy little bit of a nurse to convince him to get his hands seen to. He stopped us instantly when he started growling – growling! Lord girl, you really gotta love the sexiness! Anyway, he started growling at my man for even beginning to suggest he head home. He wasn't going anywhere, and he made that very clear."

Meg swallowed. "Did he… w-what happened…?" she whispered before trailing off, her eyes still on the sleeping man – and she found that she could no longer think of him as a boy. Not after this.

No mere boy could have done what Christopher Halliwell had done.

Danni's mouth formed a hard line, her eyes sparking with anger.

"Did he kill the fucker? No, though he tried his best to by the sounds of it, which I whole-heartedly approve of. Why didn't you tell me about him? No, never mind, we'll get into that when your better. Anyway, they had to take him into surgery to fix his face, but even then, they don't think he'll ever look the same. Your man really messed him up good. Asshole."

Meg closed her eyes and sighed in relief. Though she wouldn't have complained if Fergus _had_ snuffed it, things would have gotten really bad for Chris if he had. The law didn't take too well to murder, even if he was defending someone else.

As it was, they'd have to do a lot of creative thinking if Fergus decided to press charges. They'd probably still have to talk to the cops even if he didn't.

She opened her eyes when she heard footsteps, and watched an older man wearing a long white coat walk into the room, the insanely perky nurse following close behind.

"So you're awake. That's good. Now let's have a look at you" the doctor said in a deep, booming voice. Both Meg and Danni winced when Chris woke abruptly, surging to his feet.

"It's alright young man, I'm just checking my patient."

Chris's now brown eyes shot directly to her, and though her tried her hardest, she couldn't read anything in them. The shutters were down.

"Is she okay?" he asked calmly. The doctor, whose nametag said Dr Kyle James, hummed under his breath as he moved her gently back and forth.

"Well, she's got a fractured cheekbone that fortunately doesn't require surgery, and a couple of stitches in that cut, plus a fairly big bump at the back here which will require monitoring for the next little while. But now that you've woken up my dear, I don't see why you can't head home in the morning."

"I can't go now?" Meg asked quietly. She hated hospitals. They were all the same. Cold and clinical and the smell always made her stomach turn.

The doctor smiled kindly. "Sorry lass. We need to keep an eye on that bump for a bit, so you'll have to wait till tomorrow."

"Can you give her something for the pain she's in?" Chris asked, looking at the doctor.

Meg frowned. She'd thought she was hiding it pretty well. She'd had a lot of experience.

"Of course, of course" the doctor answered.

"She's got diabetes as well, if that affects anything" Chris said. The doctor sent him an amused look.

"Yes, it's on the chart and we've taken it into account" he said. Chris nodded. The doctor turned to the nurse and gave a series of instructions that Meg didn't understand. A couple of minutes later, the nurse had injected something into her IV and she began to feel a little floaty. She tried to fight it, they still had a lot to talk about, but she was just so tired.

"Sleep, Meg" a deep voice murmured softly, and Meg had a single thought before she drifted away.

_Christopher…_


	8. Chapter 8 - Anger

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Danni and Meg

**A/N – Kirsty: Haha, I agree, Chris is sexy no matter what! Thanks for your comments! Oh, and I'll just mention that I added a bit more onto Hide and Seek just in case you missed it… :D  
Thanks everyone for the follows, favourites and reviews! And, of course, for reading in the first place lol. Enjoy the next chapter!**

**Chapter Eight – Anger**

"_Sleep, Meg" a deep voice murmured softly, and Meg had a single thought before she drifted away._

_Christopher… _

* * *

The next time Meg woke, she found herself alone in the room. The blinds were pulled, but going by the light filtering through them, it was early morning. She blinked up at the ceiling and sighed, taking stock of the way she was feeling. Her head no longer ached so much, which was a good thing. Her cheek on the other hand…

Every time she so much as moved, small, pulsing, starbursts of pain streaked across her cheek, over her face and down her neck. It was highly uncomfortable. It also brought back a lot of bad memories, memories she'd done her best to put behind her in the past year. She'd done her best to put that whole period of her life behind her. It hadn't been a pleasant experience.

She snorted to herself. Hadn't been a pleasant experience? Now there was as understatement if she'd ever heard one. Her marriage to Fergus had been a nightmare. And the thing she was most ashamed of, apart from letting herself get smacked around for two years, was that she knew something wasn't right before she even married him.

A sixth sense had told her to be wary of the man, but she'd outright dismissed the feeling. He hadn't done anything obvious in the six months they were together before they'd tied the knot. So she'd pushed her second – and third and fourth – thoughts aside and jumped on the band wagon feet first.

She'd regretted not trusting her gut very quickly. Fergus had changed almost overnight. It was though he'd decided that, now they were married, he'd stop putting on a show. He'd hit her for the first time a month into the marriage, but he'd been verbally abusive almost from the moment they left on their honeymoon.

She closed her eyes against the memories. The names he'd called her, the violence in his tone, the way he'd demanded that she change herself completely, it had all brought her down until she was at the point that, the first time he'd hit her, she actually thought she'd deserved it.

It had taken a very long time for her to realize that nothing had been her fault. Everything wrong about her marriage was all on her husband's shoulders. She wasn't a dainty, quiet little wallflower, and she never would be, no matter how hard Fergus tried to turn her into one. She had her own opinions, as well as a temper, and it was wrong to feel guilty every time she expressed both those things. She still couldn't explode with anger without looking over her shoulder in fear, searching for a scathing comment or a swinging fist. She knew it would take a long time to move past that mind-set, but she was trying.

She was trying her hardest to be who she was, not who her ex-husband told her to be. And she'd been getting there, until he showed up again.

She frowned. How _had_ he found her? She'd left in the dead of night, when Fergus had been passed out drunk, and had used cash to purchase a ticket to the other side of the country. She would have left the country altogether if she could have, but she didn't have that kind of money. It had taken her long enough to save up enough of her 'allowance' to buy a plane ticket as it was. She'd only told one person where she was going, leaving the signed divorce papers behind her, and that person wouldn't have told her ex. She'd begged her not to tell her ex.

Deciding that she needed to make a phone call as soon as possible, she pulled herself up and was just swinging over the side of the bed, when the room turned blue. Her eyes widened and she frowned at Chris as he turned to look at her.

"Chris! Just what do you think you're doing? Anyone could have seen you!" she scolded.

Chris scowled. "Where are you going?" he asked, ignoring her telling off.

"I need to make a phone call," Meg answered.

"You can make it later. Get back into bed." He scowled further when she continued moving. "Now, Meg!"

She jumped slightly at the snap in his voice, freezing her movements. Her heart began to race and she grimaced at the predictable reaction.

_Calm down Meg, this is Chris. He would never hurt you._

She took a deep breath and looked up to meet his eyes, frowning at what she saw. Though they weren't his typical stunning green, Chris's eyes still showed his every emotion when he wasn't closing himself off. At the moment, Meg could read one thing very clearly in them.

Chris was very thoroughly pissed off. And he was pissed off at her.

Her frown deepened as she continued to hold his gaze. Anger sparked deep within his eyes, where it swirled and bubbled, making his body almost vibrate with tension. Meg swallowed hard. Why was he angry at her? She hadn't done anything wrong! She was the victim here!

"What's wrong Christopher?" she asked quietly, pulling herself back onto the bed and trying not to let her voice shake.

"Nothing," he answered shortly, looking away from her and playing with the edge of the covers. Meg frowned again.

"Yes there is. Something's bugging you. What is it?"

Chris's head swung round and Meg gasped as his gaze collided with hers. He was very angry. _Very_ angry.

"Fine, you want to know? You asked for it. Yes, Meg, something is bugging me. You let him in!"

"What?" she question, exceedingly confused. What was he talking about?

"You. Let. Him. In."

Her eyes widened again as he hissed the words at her, his hands coming up to rest on the bed as he leaned forward to emphasize his point. Something clicked in her head when her eyes rested on the bandages covering his knuckles.

"F-Fergus?" she gulped, her mind awhirl. She _had_ let him in. She hadn't had a choice.

Chris sneered. "Is that the bastard's name? Yes, him! Even though I came to you and said that I could sense you were in danger, even though we got you back to a place that should have been safe, you were still attacked and hurt! Because you didn't have the brains to slam and lock the door the instant you saw who it was! You shouldn't have even opened the door in the first place! Not after what I picked up on! But you did! You let him in and now you're here!"

Chris leaned closer and closer the more he spoke, until the last of his words were spat right in her face. Meg swallowed again, keeping her eyes very firmly locked with his. It was the only way she could stop herself from shaking with fear. His words were menacing, and after what she'd just gone through, even though she _knew_ he would never hurt her, she was having a very hard time convincing her brain of that.

"And you didn't even defend yourself! What happened to putting me on my ass, Meg?! Why didn't you do that to him?!"

Meg closed her eyes briefly, struggling with the memories.

"Because he's Fergus," she whispered, her gaze focusing on hands as they twisted the covers anxiously.

Chris's eyes widened and he stilled momentary before suddenly pulling away from her. He scowled and shoved his hand roughly through his hair. He'd just opened his mouth to retort, most likely to berate her again, as there was still plenty of anger in his eyes, when the door opened and Danni walked in.

She froze as she saw the way Chris was glaring, and the strickened expression on her friend's face, her concerned gaze going from one to the other.

"Ah… hey. I'm not interrupting, am I?"

"No," Chris said abruptly, in a sullen tone. "I was just leaving."

Meg opened her mouth and closed it again as he turned around and headed for the door. Leaving? He'd just gotten here! Panic rushed through her.

"Chris, wait, please-"

"I'll come get you when they let you out," he said, not looking in her direction. The door clicked closed behind him and Meg sighed.

"Okay, what did I miss?"

She looked away from the door and met her friend's eyes as the other woman sat down on the edge of the bed. She grimaced.

"Chris is angry with me."

"That much is obvious. What isn't is why," Danni said with a cock of her head.

"Because I didn't listen to him when he said I was in danger," Meg said softly, her eyes back on the door. "I opened the front door without thinking, letting in the man who put me in here. Chris isn't very impressed."

Danni raised her eyebrows. "Really? He's angry at you for _that_? Why? I wasn't your fault! The Asshole is bigger and stronger then you, so is quite capable of pushing his way into the apartment. And how did he know you were in danger? Is he psychic or something?"

Meg mentally kicked herself. Lord, she was a dolt! Danni didn't know who Chris really was! Her brain must have really taken a rattling when Fergus knocked her around!

"Noooo. Not really. He's just, ah, got a sixth sense I guess you could say, that he takes very seriously. It's been right before, and when he dragged me away? It was saying that there was trouble."

_And there was,_ Meg thought. _Fergus had been watching us. _

She shuddered.

Danni pursed her lips. "But you've only just met him, right? So how are you supposed to know him enough to trust this 'sixth sense' of his? It seems to me you didn't do anything wrong."

She shook her head and reached out to squeeze Meg's hand.

"No, I don't really thing that is the reason why he's so upset. I think he's angry, but with himself more then you. I bet you he feels guilty for not getting there sooner."

Meg's mouth fell open. "But he got there in plenty of time! If he had have been later, there's no telling what Fergus might have done to me!"

"Yes, we both know that, but does Chris?"

Meg looked away. Danni's reasoning made sense, but so did Chris's explanations. No matter what Danni said, she _did_ know Chris well enough to trust his 'sixth sense'. He was magically connected to her for some unknown reason, so if he said she was in danger, she was in danger. She should have trusted his word and not acted so foolishly. Chris had reason to be angry.

_Especially considering I'm the only one who can help him get home…_

Danni smiled and squeezed her hand again. "Don't worry honeybunch. Frank's outside having a smoke; he won't let your man run off too far."

Meg frowned. "He really isn't my man, Danni. We're just friends."

"You're just friends. Really," Danni deadpanned. "Yes, that's why he went all Terminator on The Asshole. That's a pretty violent reaction for 'just friends' puddleduck."

Her frown deepened. It had been pretty violent. Meg knew Chris was capable of it, she'd seen Spin City more than once, but he'd had reason then. All the resentment he'd felt towards Leo had come bubbling up, and he'd reacted by trying to turn his father's face into mush. But that had been his father. She was just someone he'd known for a couple of days, who was trying to help him get home. Why did he react in the same way? I didn't make sense.

She blinked when Danni waved her hand as if erasing something from the air.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter at the moment. I'm just glad he got there when he did."

"So am I," Meg murmured. She suddenly thought of something and looked at her friend. "How did you find out about it?"

The corner of Danni's mouth pulled up into a small, sad smile. "I heard you scream chickadee. The door was wide open. I got to your place – I had plans to interrogate you about your stray that couldn't wait till the next evening – and had just closed the car door when you screamed. I ran into the apartment in time to see Chris shaking you just after you'd passed out."

"Oh," was all Meg could think of to say. She mentally cringed. She wished Danni hadn't seen her like that. It was shameful and embarrassing that she'd let a man get one up on her. That was also the reason why she'd never told Danni about Fergus. She hadn't wanted her bright and bubbly friend to be tainted by her past. Moreover, she'd just wanted to forget about it, and talking about it certainly wouldn't have let her do that.

Which reminded her, she really needed to make that phone call.

"Have you seen the doctor? Did he say what time I can get out of here?" she asked, craning her neck to see into the hallway. Danni shook her head.

"Yeah, and not for a couple of hours yet. The cops want to talk to you, Chris as well, but it's also good because it gives you time to explain why you didn't tell me a single thing about this abusive ex of yours."

The tiny woman's glare was impressive. Meg sighed again, knowing she wouldn't be able to get out of it, as well as knowing that Danni wouldn't be happy with her explanation. Her friend folded both her arms and her lips and gave Meg a beady-eyed stare.

"You better tell me now, missy, before your man gets back and sufficiently distracts both of us."

"He isn't my man," Meg said again, desperately grasping on to the closest subject change. "How can he be my man? I'm too old for him! He's compared me to his mother, for God's sake!"

"Oh, come on! What are you talking about? And don't think I don't know what you're trying to do, Megan," Danni said, frowning at her. "We'll get back to that in a minute. How can you say you're too old for him? Have you not seen the way he looks at you?"

"No," Meg answered truthfully, though there had been that one time…

"Well then, chickadee, you must be blind. Chris looks at you like you're a tall, sweaty glass on a hot summer's day, like you're a bowl of cream and he's a hungry tom-cat, like you're a fillet steak and he hasn't eaten in a year, like you're a-"

"Okay, okay, I get the picture!" Meg said, holding up her hands. Though she didn't actually. Chris didn't look at her like that, did he?

_But, man, would it be hot if he did!_

Danni grinned, looking very smug. "So, putting together his heavy protective instincts towards you, and the fact that he's lusting after your banging body, I'd say that adds up to him being your man, even if you two haven't realized it yet."

"And the mother thing?" Meg asked, curious despite herself. Danni shrugged.

"Every man loves his Mom, puddleduck. I'd take it as a compliment."

Meg picked at the blanket. "There's still the fact that I'm eight years older than him."

"So? Eight years is nothing nowadays Meg," Danni said softly with an understanding smile. "There's couples out there who have twenty years or more between them. Eight years is piddly compared to that."

She reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "I say if you like him, and I know you do, put the age thing out of your mind and go for it. You may be surprised at the answer you get."

_Oh, but I wish I could,_ Meg thought with a silent sigh. However, she definitely couldn't. Danni really didn't know who Chris was. He didn't belong in her reality, just as anything that she may wish would happen between them didn't belong either. She'd much rather stay friends and deal with a small amount of pain when he left, then start something with him and have her heart break when he still left. Because he would. Nothing would stop him from going back to save his brother.

Nothing could.

"Now, Little Miss Private and Confidential, open that mouth and spill please. I want to know exactly how you met The Asshole, what happened, and most importantly, why the freaking hell you didn't tell me about him!"

Meg grimaced at the exasperation in her friend's voice. Man, she _really _wasn't going to be able to get out of this one. She sighed and leaned back, closing her eyes. It was sure going to be a fun couple of hours.


	9. Chapter 9 - Interruptions

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Danni and Meg

**Chapter Nine – Interruptions**

_Meg blanched at the exasperation in her friend's voice. Man, she really wasn't going to be able to get out of this one. She sighed and leaned back, closing her eyes. It was sure going to be a fun couple of hours._

* * *

Fun wasn't even the word for it. Meg had been right. Danni was _not_ impressed with her explanation – or excuse as Danni called it. No matter how many times Meg said that she'd just wanted to put that part of her life behind her, her best friend had come back with something that had made her feel guilty and selfish for keeping it to herself.

"How exactly did you think you were going to put it behind you without talking about it?" Danni pointed out. "It obviously had a large impact on you; I knew you took those self-defence lessons for bigger reasons then just that mugging. If you'd told me, you would have had more than just you and Hero looking out for you."

"I know," Meg sighed. "I'm sorry Danni, I really am. I can't say anything more then that I just wanted to forget about it."

Danni frowned and opened her mouth before she seemed to change her mind. She sighed and took Meg's hand.

"You can't forget about it until you've moved past it, and the only way to do that is to talk. But I've lectured enough I think. Just as long as you promise to not to keep something this big from me again. You had me terrified chickadee, and it wasn't a pleasant experience."

Meg looked down as guilt surged through her. She couldn't make that promise. Not while Christopher was still in her life. She couldn't share his secret, as it wasn't hers to share. But more than that, she really didn't want her friend to go looking for the first shrink she could find.

Thankfully, she was saved from having to answer when the door opened and Chris walked in. His face was blank mask, no emotion showing in his eyes when Meg met them. She frowned in disappointment. Frank was quite good at talking people out of bad moods, and she'd been hoping that he'd have some success with Chris. But apparently no such luck.

"Well if it isn't Mr Grumpy," Danni said, her narrowed eyes contradicting her cheerful voice. Chris looked up and scowled at her.

"Danni," he said with a nod, his tone short. Danni put her hands on her hips and threw her own scowl back at him.

"You certainly pick a great time to throw a temper-tantrum, don't you sunshine?" she said and Meg's head snapped to her.

"Danni, what are you doing?" she said warily. Why was she picking a fight?

Chris scowled further when Danni met Meg's gaze briefly before looking back at the man sitting at her bedside.

"I'm pointing out that he has a really shitty sense of timing," she said. "I walk in and he's angry and leaning over you in a threatening manner, right after The Asshole attacks you? Yeah, Chris, _great _way to get your point across without scaring Meg in the process!"

Chris's eyes widened as Danni held his gaze. Meg could almost see the words hit him. Emotion zoomed back into his eyes, the main one being guilt. He looked at her quickly and then looked away again. Meg glared at Danni, who just grinned back at her, her point made.

Silence reigned in the room as both woman watched Chris visibly struggle with whether to apologize on not. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, swearing under his breath, his familiar scowl seemingly etched into his features. Meg felt horrible. He had nothing to be sorry about, she was the one who had to apologize, and she was about to tell him that when they were interrupted by the door opening again. Meg cringed when she saw the boys in blue – or in this case, girl in blue. The blond policewoman walked into the room and stepped up to the end of the bed, her eyes shifting from one person to the next as she absorbed the tension in the air.

"Megan O'Connor?" she questioned and Meg wiggled her fingers at her.

"That's me. Call me Meg," she said. The policewoman nodded.

"Officer Tawny. I'm here to take your statement if now's a good time."

"As good as any," Meg said on a sigh.

"Good. And you're Christopher Perry?" she asked, looking at Chris, who studied her silently before nodding.

"I'll get yours next then. If we could have some privacy?"

"No," Chris said abruptly, his eyes still on her. "I'm staying."

"I second that," Danni said. Officer Tawny frowned, looking at Meg.

"They can stay if that's alright," she said quietly, relieved that she wouldn't have to go over it alone. She'd already told it to Danni, but telling it to the police made it more… real somehow.

The police officer nodded. "It's your choice. I'll take you through what happened step by step and then we'll get into your and your husband's history."

"Ex-husband," Meg said, noticing Chris stiffen out the corner of her eye. Officer Tawny smiled.

"Sorry, ex-husband. Right, tell me what happened from the beginning. How did the incident start?"

And so it went. Meg answered the questions as quickly and calmly as possible. It helped that Danni held her hand through the entire thing, and even though he never made any physical movement towards her, just Chris being there helped her stay calm, though his expression did steadily get darker and darker the more she spoke. She finally got to the end of the statement, her voice catching only a time or two.

"Okay, that's just about all we need," Officer Tawny said about fifteen minutes later. "One last question and I hope you don't mind, but this is as much for my curiosity as it is for the record."

When Meg nodded, the policewoman continued.

"What made you decide to leave him? You were married to him for two years and never once went for help. You suffered for that long, what made you plan and execute your escape?"

Meg took a deep breath as the memory of that moment rushed over her. It was her worst and best memory all at once.

"Fergus booted me in the stomach and I thought I was pregnant," she whispered. Danni gasped and Chris went very still.

"Were you?" Officer Tawny asked in a soft voice. Meg shook her head.

"No, but the point is, I thought I was. His actions could have killed our baby. It was then that I realized that I had to leave. Because if I stayed, there was a high chance I'd end up pregnant at some point, and what if he did it again? Up until that point I could deal with him beating me. I couldn't handle the thought that he might harm someone else I loved. So I planned and I left."

"You made a very wise decision," Officer Tawny said, her eyes smiling kindly. "Though you would have saved yourself some pain if you'd reported him sooner."

"Kind of hard to report someone for doing something wrong when you don't think what they've done is wrong at all," Meg said, just a hint of dry humour in her voice. The police officer smiled again.

"Very true. But you're out of it now, and just between you, me and your cheer section here, with what we've figured from the evidence in the apartment and the wounds on both your exes face and his hands," she said with a nod at Chris, "Fergus McNulty is probably going down for quite a long time."

Meg smiled. Widely. That was exactly what she wanted to hear. What they all wanted to hear. Danni made her elation a little more visible by pumping her fist in the air and yelping out a "yuss!" Chris noticeably relaxed, his dark expression clearing slightly.

"Should you really be telling me that?" Meg asked with a grin. Officer Tawny grinned back and shrugged.

"No. But what the bigwigs don't know won't hurt them. As long as you don't take my words to heart. There's no guarantee, it's just whispers."

"Thank you," Meg said. "Just the thought that he might get what he deserves is enough at the moment."

"You're most welcome," Officer Tawny said. "Now, I'll get Christopher's statement and have a word with… Danniella I take it?" she said, looking at Danni, who nodded. "Then I'll go get them to my boss. After that, I think Dr James said something about you going home?"

Meg nodded eagerly. "The sooner the better," she said and the Officer grinned again.

"Couldn't agree more."

~0~

Chris gave his statement in a monotone, only showing signs of emotion when he described walking – though he's orbed, not walked, he just couldn't tell the cops that – into the apartment and seeing Fergus fling an already bleeding Meg across the room. His voice hardened, as did his eyes, reminding Meg a lot of the way he'd looked when he'd stood up to Wyatt in Chris-Crossed. Angry and defiant. He'd quickly shut it down again and after speaking to Danni, Officer Tawny left, promising to update them as soon as she knew anything.

Dr James came in moments after the Officer left. He gave Meg a thorough check before pronouncing her fit to go home, as long as she had someone stay with her the night to keep an eye on her concussion, and that she came back in a few days to get stitches removed and the progress of her healing cheek checked. Meg nodded quickly, more than ready to go home. She protested having to leave in a wheelchair, but one look from Chris shut her up. He was clearly still angry, but there was guilt mixed in with it as well.

Meg didn't know what to say to him. His face was stoic and closed, but he didn't leave her side. It was all so confusing and she knew she'd have to talk to him as soon as possible, which she wasn't looking forward to. At all.

Danni chatted as she drove back to Meg's apartment, her rambling filling up the awkward silence Meg and Chris were sitting in. Chris spent most of the time staring out the front passenger seat window, and Meg spent most of the time watching Chris from the back. She sighed as her eyes ran over his stiff profile. He seemed like a stranger at the moment, and she didn't like that thought at all. She looked over when a large hand patted her knee.

"He'll be okay hun. You just scared him, is all, but once he settles himself down and gets himself over it, everything will go back to normal," Frank murmured. His dark, whiskey-coloured eyes were kind and Meg smiled at him.

"I hope so," she whispered. "I don't like it when we're at odds."

"What couple does? And I know you've told Danni you're not a couple, but the way the two of you have been acting sure makes you look like one." He smiled at her and squeezed her knee.

"Take some advice from the guy who almost turned away from the love of his life," he said with a nod at the bouncy driver. "If you have feelings for him, don't let anything get in your way. It'll just cause more heartbreak. Trust me."

Meg sighed again and turned to look out her window as they pulled up to the apartment. Did she have feelings for Chris? She was attracted to him, yes, but was it more than that? And if it was, could she really take the chance? He might be a fiction character in real life, but he was certainly real enough now. Could she put her heart on the line, knowing that he'd have to leave eventually? Did she have the strength for that?

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to answer those questions immediately, she got out of the car, Chris stepping in silently behind her. She turned to Danni when her friend said her name.

"I'll just pop home and pick up a couple of things, honeybunch, but I'll be right back. We can have a girl's night tonight."

Meg frowned. She was staying the night? But Chris was here… she blinked when she realized that Danni didn't know that. And she couldn't tell her because it would set her right off. Besides, she thought she might actually enjoy having Danni around. It might cut some of the tension between her and Chris.

"Okay," she said quietly. Frank smiled at her again and looked at the other man.

"Since those two are going all girly, how about you come over to mine and we have our own version? You know, manly stuff, beer and football and nachos, that kind of thing."

Chris's eyes widened at the invitation and he hesitated, looking at Meg and then looking away again. He frowned.

"Maybe. I'll, ah, let you know, okay?" he said. Frank nodded.

"Sure thing. Meg's got my cell number, just flick me a text." He turned to Meg again. "Take care of yourself, hun. No more hospital visits this century."

Meg grinned and nodded, cringing slightly as the movement made her head and cheek ache. She needed to take some painkillers.

"We have to get inside," Chris said gruffly, taking Meg by the arm. Danni grinned at his actions before shooting them a little wave. The couple were gone in the next moment and Chris led Meg into the house.

She froze the instant she stepped over the threshold. Her eyes widened and her breath stuttered as she took in the evidence of her 'discussion' with her ex. There was blood on the carpet. Memories overtook her and she felt herself begin to tremble.

She distantly heard Chris curse under his breath before he muttered something and white lights popped out of nowhere. They zoomed around the mess, making it vanish, until there was nothing left to suggest anything untoward had gone on in the room. Meg felt her mind clear as she was greeted with her plain, ordinary living area.

"Thank you," she whispered before looking at her guest sharply. "But that was the Vanishing Spell, wasn't it? Aren't you worried about Personal Gain?"

"No," Chris said curtly, striding past her and into the kitchen. He came out a moment later with a glass of water and the pills the doctor had prescribed.

"Here. Drink," he said. Meg shook her head.

"I'm okay at the moment. I'll take them later Chris," she said when he frowned at her. "They'll put me to sleep, and you and I… we have to talk."

Chris's frown deepened into a scowl. "At least sit down then," he grumbled, taking her arm and leading her to the sofa. Meg did as she was told; glad to be off her feet. Chris sat beside her and the two of them looked at each other, neither saying a word.

"I'm sorry," Meg blurted suddenly. "I'm so sorry Christopher. I should have trusted you. I know who you are and what you do, so I should have taken your warning to heart. I should have never answered the door."

Chris stared at her for a long moment before he sighed, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"You're right, you shouldn't have. But I shouldn't have gotten so angry. I know you're not used to my life, so it's understandable that you don't treat everything I say with respect. Hell, even the sisters don't take everything I say to heart."

"Yes, but that's only because they don't trust you as yet. I do. I really do," she insisted when he looked at her. Relief ran through his eyes and he nodded.

"Okay. So you'll do what I say next time?"

"When it comes to my safety, I will," she said. She grinned when Chris scowled at her answer. She'd listen to him up to a point. It was her life after all.

"So you wanna take those pills now?" Chris asked. Meg shook her head again.

"Not just yet. I have one more question if you're willing to answer it. Well, two really," she said. Chris looked at her warily.

"Why did you get so angry? And why did you attack Fergus so severely? You could have just TK'ed him and knocked him out that way. You didn't have to rearrange his face."

Chris looked at her in horror. "You're not feeling sorry for The Asshole, are you?" he asked.

"No! Of course not! He deserved everything he got, and I'm grateful you dished it out to him!" Meg answered, secretly finding it funny that he had adopted Danni's name for her ex. "I was just wondering at the extreme reaction."

Chris looked down at his hands and for a moment, Meg thought he wasn't going to answer her. He had a right not to. Whatever had caused him to react so violently was his business, not hers.

"You don't know the answer already?" he asked quietly. Meg frowned.

"I wouldn't have asked if I did," she answered. Chris looked surprised.

"Must not be in the seasons," he muttered. Meg frowned further as he turned to look at her.

"When I was a teenager, I had a friend, a girl. Not a girlfriend, we were never that, we were just really close friends. She meant the world to me. She was a fabulous distraction from Wyatt and… I take it you know about mine and Leo's history?"

Meg nodded silently, not willing to speak in case it put him off. He opened up so rarely.

"Of course you do," he huffed. "Anyway, she kept me from stressing too much over those two. For a while, she allowed me to be a normal teenager."

"Only for a while?" Meg murmured, unable to help herself. Chris nodded.

"Yeah, only for a while. She was fifteen when she met this guy. I didn't trust him from the get-go, and I told her that, but Ivy… she was stubborn. They got together, and this guy, well let's just say that he proved me right within a month."

Meg swallowed as Chris's eyes darkened with anger.

"I lost count of how many times I had to beg Wyatt to heal her. I also lost count of how many times I begged her to leave him, as well as how many times she had to talk me out of attacking him. I can't believe now that I listened to her, but that girl was always able to twist me around her little finger."

"What happened to her?" Meg asked as Chris smiled gently, his eyes shadowy with memories. Chris's face hardened.

"I found her one day, lying on her bedroom floor. She was dead. She'd been dead for a few hours, while I'd been sitting there, waiting for her to come over. He'd beaten her to death, and then he just walked away, scot free."

Meg inhaled sharply, sorrow running though her. "What did you do?" she whispered. Chris laughed bitterly.

"Nothing. I did absolutely nothing," he said. "Wyatt wouldn't let me. He locked me up for a month, and by that time, the guy had disappeared. I couldn't find him anywhere."

He sighed. "Ivy's family didn't care about her either, she'd spent a lot of time at mine and Granddad's place until this guy came along, so the police investigation was only half-hearted. I don't think they would have even reported it if I hadn't made them. The police eventually ruled it as an accident, which was complete bullshit."

"Oh God. I'm so sorry Chris," Meg whispered. Chris grimaced.

"So am I. But that's the main reason why I reacted the way I did. Seeing him do that to you brought it all back." He looked at her, his eyes hesitant. "I'm sorry if I scared you at the hospital. I didn't mean too. It's just that you did the same thing Ivy did time and time again. She didn't listen to me then, and, well, you didn't listen to me now, so I just…"

"It's okay," Meg said, taking his hand and squeezing it. "Yes I was scared, but it was more of an instinctual reaction than anything else. I know you would never hurt me Christopher. You don't have it in you. Thank you for telling me."

Chris smiled and Meg's heart stuttered as his eyes warmed. They weren't green, but they were still Chris.

_Oh Lord, I'm seriously in trouble,_ she thought as she held his gaze. Her breath caught as his eyes continued to darken, her heart beginning to pound. Chris leaned forward ever so slightly, his eyes heated, and-

The front door opened. Meg jumped, her head shooting round. Danni's smile fell off her face as she saw how close the two of them were sitting, or least how close they _had_ been sitting. Chris moved the instant Danni walked into the room. He was now heading over to the computer.

"Umm, hi," Danni said, the expression she threw Meg very clearly saying _shit, sorry!_ Meg shrugged and sighed; somewhat glad they'd been interrupted. Though she would have enjoyed kissing Chris – understatement! – she really needed to get her head straight first. Danni looked at Chris, who was now checking Meg's emails.

"Are you going to my place?" she asked. "You should. I'm here with Meg and you might enjoy it. Someone to, ah, talk to maybe?"

Chris turned around and looked at her, a frown on his face. He'd just opened his mouth to answered when they were once again interrupted.

A swirl of bright, goldish lights appeared out of nowhere, collating into a form. Chris shot over to Meg as Danni's mouth fell open.

"What the hell?"

Meg's own mouth fell open as the light cleared, and she stared at the figure who was looking around the room suspiciously. His gaze fell on Chris and he frowned.

"Chris? There you are. What happened?" he asked and Meg blinked in shock.

"What… L-Leo?"

* * *

**Hehe! Sorry, shouldn't be laughing, but I do love my cliffys! :D Anyway, what do you think? Let me know.**

**Kirsty: Thanks for your last review and I hope this chapter answered your questions. Oh, and there's one more chapter to go on Hide and Seek, which should (will) be up tomorrow!**

**Thanks everyone for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10 - One more to the mix

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Danni and Meg

**Chapter Ten – One more to the mix**

_Meg's own mouth fell open as the light cleared, and she stared at the figure who was looking around the room suspiciously. His gaze fell on Chris and he frowned._

"_Chris? There you are. What happened?" he asked and Meg blinked in shock._

"_What… L-Leo?" _

* * *

"Do I know you?" Leo asked with a questioning look at Meg, who shook her head slowly. She stared at him, dumbfounded. Christ on a crutch. One Charmed character was fantastical enough, now she had _two _in her living room!

Leo's frown deepened as his confused green eyes swept the room, and Meg was startled at how much like Chris's they were. She'd always thought Chris had gotten his eye colour from Prue, but seeing his father's eyes this close, it was a lot easier to believe that the two of them were related.

The Elder looked at his future son, whom apart from swearing under his breath, hadn't said a word. He raised an eyebrow.

"Chris? Why are you wearing a glamour? Who are these people? And what the heck happened?"

"That's Brian Krause. You're Brian Krause."

Danni's thunderstruck voice bet Chris to the punch. She stared at the newcomer, shock and disbelief stamped across her features.

"No I'm not," Leo answered as he looked at her. "My name is Leo. Who are you?"

Danni pursed her lips in consideration as she continued to stare at him.

"Oh, Meg?"

"Yes Danni?" Meg answered weakly.

"Why is Brian Krause standing in the middle of your apartment, why is he denying that he is who he is, and most importantly, how the freaking hell did he get here?"

Danni asked all these questions in a pleasant tone, like she was working behind the desk at customer service. Meg grimaced. She knew and very much hated that tone. When her best friend spoke like that, the shit was about to hit the fan.

She turned to Chris. "Take off the glamour."

He scowled. "What?"

"She already knows something's going on, so we may as well show her the whole thing. This way I don't have to continue lying to her."

She smiled gently when she correctly interpreted his expression. "I'd trust her with my life, Christopher. She's not going to tell anyone."

Chris frowned for a long moment, his eyes wary. "If you're sure."

"I am."

He nodded, looked at Leo briefly, who was watching Chris and Meg with a baffled expression, and clicked his fingers. Dull yellow lights appeared out of nowhere and zoomed over him, removing the fake Chris and revealing who he truly was.

Meg nodded in satisfaction when he was once again looking at her with bottle green eyes, his dark brown hair falling over his forehead. Much better.

"Holy crap on a cracker."

Meg looked over and moved to Danni's side as the other woman goggled. Her blue eyes were wide, and surprisingly, a little scared.

"Danni? Are you okay?"

"But…? You…? How…? Wha…? Oh, Lord, I need to sit down."

And she did just that, her legs folding under her until she was sitting cross legged on the floor. Meg crouched down beside her in concern.

"Danni…"

"Meg, what the hell is going on?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Leo said. He frowned at the two women on the floor, his eyes lingering on Meg's bandaged cheek. His eyes then narrowed when his head swung round to settle on the bandages on Chris's hands.

Chris followed his gaze and bitterness swept his features before he scoffed. "Don't worry Leo, I didn't do it. You don't need to get all High-and-Mighty on me."

"What? Of course it wasn't Chris!" Meg exclaimed, standing back up as she realized what he was talking about. "He saved me! My ex attacked me and Chris saved me! He hurt his hands by putting the bastard in the hospital, not by hurting me! How can you even think that?"

"It's okay Meg," Chris said quietly and Meg shook her head in agitation.

"No it's not! He should know you better than that! Didn't he tell you he trusted you the last time you were on top of the Golden Gate Bridge together?"

Chris's brows winged. "Wow, you know that series back to front. It's a little scary."

"If you're talking about Charmed, season six in particular, then that would be a very firm yes," Danni said in a slightly dazed voice. Meg frowned down at her, Danni copying the expression when she looked up at her friend.

"What? You've exposed me to enough of that show that I know the actors when I see them, and that my friend, is Drew Fuller," she said, waving vaguely at Chris. "Add Brian Krause over there, and you have season six. Or maybe season eight, but most likely six."

"I'm in season eight?" Chris blinked in surprise. Meg shrugged hurriedly and looked back at Danni. Best to just gloss right over that.

"So you know what's going on?" she asked. Danni shook her head.

"Nope. Have absolutely no clue. Wanna explain it to me?"

"And me," Leo piped up. "That woman obviously doesn't know about magic-"

"Magic?" Danni interrupted.

"Okay, maybe we better start from the beginning," Meg said with a sigh. She looked at Chris. "Separate or together?"

"Oh, most definitely together," Danni answered for him as she pulled herself up. "Don't think you can get away with separating the celebrities. I'm staying right here, and so are they."

Meg rubbed her forehead tiredly and looked at Chris again, who funnily enough, was scowling. She sighed. She really hated explaining things.

~0~

"So he really is Chris Ha-"

"Perry. Chris Perry," Meg said, quickly cutting off her friend before she exposed Chris to his father. Danni frowned at her in confusion.

"Season six, Danni."

"Oh. Oh!" Danni said, her eyes flicking over to Leo, who was standing at the window with his back to them. "Right then. He's Chris Perry, and that's Leo Wyatt, the… Elder?"

"That's right," Meg answered.

"So you're saying that none of our world is real? It's all make-believe?"

"It's real to you," Meg said softly, looking at Leo's back. "It's your life, and it'll still be your life when you go back to it. That seems real enough to me."

Leo sighed and turned around. "I don't understand why I don't know about this."

"What's this? Your all-knowing Elder knowledge was a few gaps? Oh, the horror!" Chris snarked. Meg threw him a look and the time traveller scowled down at the floor.

"Why would you know about it? You and the other Elders focus on your world, not on any others. You can't, can you? If you split your focus, the safety of your world would suffer."

Surprise shone in Leo's eyes before respect replaced it.

"That's very true," he said with a smile. Meg smiled back – or at least tried to. It was at that moment that her cheek decided to make itself known. She winced and sat back, her hand coming up to cup it.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Chris asked as he got up from where he was sitting at the computer, picked up the glass of water and pills that were on the coffee table, and handed them to Meg. She grimaced as she accepted them, wondering if she could pass if off as not all that bad.

Seeing her expression, Chris sighed, took back the pills and popped a couple into his hand before shoving them back into his face. He scowled at her.

"Take them," he demanded.

"They'll put me to sleep," Meg protested.

"So? Sleep's one of the best medicines. You're in pain, Meg. Take them. Don't make me force you."

Her eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't I?" Chris said with a smirk.

"Okay, enough bickering kiddies," Danni said, making them both look over at her. "But I do agree with Chris, Meg. You should take them and go to bed."

"Fine, fine," Meg sighed, reaching for the pills. "I'll take them but I'm not going to bed until I have to."

"Christ, and people think _I'm _stubborn," Chris muttered. Meg swallowed the pills and glared at him.

"Shut up you. You're more stubborn then I am."

"Whatever you say, Megan," Chris said with a grin. Danni laughed while Meg sat there, grumbling about annoying whitelighters. All three of them turned when they heard a throat being cleared.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but we _do_ have a situation to solve," Leo said quietly. He was watching Meg and Chris, his eyes narrowed in speculation. Guilt flashed across Chris's face and he scowled again, heading back over to the computer.

"This'll help then. Your author answered your email, Meg," he said in a brusque voice. The mortal blinked in surprise and got up.

"Really?" she queried, heading over to him. Chris looked back over his shoulder and scowled once again.

"What are you doing? Sit back down!" he ordered. "I can handle a simple email, you know."

"Why don't I save all this arguing and just heal you?" Leo suggested softly. Chris stood straight up and looked at the Elder.

"Yes. That's a good idea," he urged.

Meg shook her head as she sat. "No it isn't. I have to go back to the hospital and get the stitches removed in a couple of days, plus the cops will probably want to speak to both of us again. How's it going to look if I suddenly have nothing to prove Fergus belongs behind bars? That's not going to work."

"Prick needs more then to just be behind bars," Chris muttered. Danni chuckled.

"I totally agree sunshine. But Meg's right though. She needs all the physical evidence she can get, so that The Asshole can go away for a very long time."

"So no healing," Meg said firmly. "It'll be fine, I can put up with it. I've had worse."

Chris's expression darkened and he quickly turned back to the computer. He muttered something that the girls didn't catch, though Leo did going by the surprise on his face. Speculation once again filled his eyes as he watched the younger man. Chris ignored him and fiddled with the mouse.

"Okay, your author says that the spell wasn't made up. They apparently took it from a Wiccan book that belongs to their Grandmother. They also say that they remember reading it as a kid, and thought it would be 'cool' to add a real spell to a work of fiction."

He scoffed. "Yeah, real 'cool' when the spell actually works and ends up messing with my life. Lord, some people are stupid."

"They didn't know it was going to work, though did they?" Meg pointed out.

"Hold on, hold on, back up the train a bit, would you?" Danni said. "What spell? And who's this author you're talking about?"

"I second those questions," Leo said. Meg sighed and leaned back.

"I came here because Meg read a spell aloud that she found in a fanfiction story," Chris explained, his eyes on his host.

"Fanfiction?" Leo questioned.

"It's this silly little thing fans of movies, TV shows and books do. They write stories about the characters."

"Hey! It isn't silly!" Meg protested half-heartedly. She could already feel the waves of sleep approaching. She sighed again. She really disliked taking pills, because no matter what they were, she always reacted the same way.

Chris ignored her protest. "She read out this spell and then suddenly I was here. It doesn't have a reversal, so I have no way of getting back. Or at least not until I fulfil the requirements of the spell."

Leo cursed under his breath and Chris frowned at him. "What?"

"The spell that was used to get me here doesn't have a reversal either," the Elder said with a wry twist of his mouth. "I was counting on you having figured it out."

Chris stared at him in disbelief. "Well that was intelligent, wasn't it?" he said, the words dripping with sarcasm. Leo grimaced and scratched the back of his neck, apology in his eyes.

Meg frowned at them before blinking slowly when Danni leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Look at that honeybunch, _two_ hunky Charmed men to keep you entertained!"

She snorted. "I can entertain myself well enough, thank you very much."

Danni's brow went up. "Yes, I agree, you probably can, but isn't it a lot funner with a partner?"

"Funner? Love the made up word there, my friend," Meg yawned. Danni grinned and shrugged.

"And you're not getting my meaning. You really must be tired."

"Oh, I am. I'm just choosing to take the high road and ignore you," Meg answered softly, making Danni snort. The pain was slowly fading, as was her consciousness.

"What are you two whispering about?" Chris asked. Danni sat up and grinned again.

"Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about sunshine," she said. "But I do think it's time for someone to hit the hay."

"I'm fine. Really. I just need… caffeine," Meg mumbled as her eyes drooped.

"You need sleep," Chris said and Meg's eyes shot open before slowly closing again when the world tilted.

"What are you doing?" she slurred.

"Taking you to bed," came the rumbled reply.

"Oh, if only," she whispered and Chris's steps halted for a second before they resumed. Meg sighed, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Are you carrying me?"

"No, you're just magically floating down the stairs," Chris said dryly.

"It could happen," she said. The witch snorted.

"Christopher?" she murmured as her limbs began to feel heavy.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for saving me from Fergus."

She sighed again as her head met her pillow and Chris pulled the covers up over her. The world faded to almost nothing, making her wonder if the hand that reached out to brush back her hair was part of a dream.

"Anytime. Now go to sleep Meg."

"You always seem to be saying that," Meg grumbled. She half-smiled in contentment when she heard him chuckle.

"Because you always seem to need me to. Sleep now. I'll be here when you wake up."

_For how long?_ Meg thought distantly before that disturbing thought was pushed aside as the pills got the best of her, sucking her down into slumber.

* * *

**A/N - Sorry it's shorter then usual. I thought it was a good place to end it. Hope you enjoyed!**


	11. Chapter 11 - Conversations and confusion

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Danni and Meg

**A/N – Okay, time for a slight change of pace. I felt it was time we heard from a certain lovable neurotic whitelighter. So enjoy a rare glance into Chris's head and please let me know if you want to hear from him again!**

**Chapter Eleven – Conversations and confusion**

_For how long? Meg thought distantly before that disturbing thought was pushed aside as the pills got the best of her, sucking her down into slumber._

* * *

She was out like a light. Chris stood over the bed, staring down at her, a frown on his face. She looked so fragile laying there, her cheek covered in a plain, white bandage, the skin under it split by that dickheads ring. The bone under _that _broken by his hand. His frown morphed into a scowl. Just thinking of that prick got his blood boiling. If he hadn't gotten there in time, if he'd been even two minutes later… his hand fisted as anger pulsed through him.

"Chris?"

Leo's voice carried down the stairs, and Chris's head lifted, scowling for another reason. Christ. He really didn't want to go up there and talk to him. He didn't want to have anything to do with him, but now that he'd decided to stick his nose in – like he always did – he found he didn't have a choice.

It was annoying. Why did the sisters have to send him of all people? They knew Chris didn't like or trust him – okay, so maybe he did sort of trust him. Now. He was ever the professional and could always be counted on to be there for baby Wyatt. But that still didn't mean that he liked him.

He could never like him. He was there for Wyatt, but never him.

"Hey, Hero, she asleep?"

Chris sighed and turned towards Danni, who was standing on the middle of the stairs. He nodded before realizing that she probably couldn't see him.

"Yeah," he said, and with one last look at the woman who had surprising come to mean quite a lot to him, Chris headed towards her. "She was basically asleep when I was bringing her down here."

"When you were _carrying _her down here you mean," Danni said with a grin and a comical waggle of her eyebrows. She sighed gustily and laid her hand over her heart. "Like the old heroes of age, you swept the damsel off her feet and carried her off to her boudoir. Very romantic."

Chris frowned deeply. "I didn't do it for that reason, Danni. She could barely keep her eyes open, let alone walk. She would have hurt herself if she tried these stairs on her own."

"Whatever you say, sunshine," Danni said with another grin, before that grin fell away, being replaced by a serious expression.

"But that brings up a good point. I really need to head home-"

"You're not staying?" Chris asked in surprise as they reached the top of the stairs. Leo looked over from the bookcase where he'd been perusing Meg's collection.

"She's got two big, strong men here with her, I think me staying would be one person too many. This is a pretty tiny apartment, after all." She looked over at Leo. "I take it you are staying?"

"If Meg can handle having both of us here, I wouldn't say no," Leo said quietly. "I don't want to intrude though. I can find somewhere else if I need to."

"And just where else would that be, Mr Angel Man?" Danni asked as Chris looked away and grimaced with unwanted guilt. He hadn't offered to find somewhere else to stay. He hadn't even thought of it. Trust Leo to show him up.

"You are a supernatural creature in a world where the supernatural either doesn't exist, or if it does, is so well hidden that most people believe it doesn't exist," Danni continued. "You don't have any money, or I assume you don't, so you can't rent a room, and most importantly, you're wearing the face of a hot male actor. You can't go anywhere, Meg would freak if you did."

Leo blinked and the corner of his mouth twisted up in a half smile. "Those are very good points. If she's offering the hospitality, I'm more than happy to stay."

"I'm offering the hospitality, but it amounts to that same thing. Therefore, she has you two; she doesn't need me as well. I'll just head home to my man."

She grabbed Chris by the arm and gave it a firm tug.

"Walk me to the door?"

Chris looked at her and then looked at the door, clearly visible from where they were standing.

"You need help to get from here to there?" he asked in a dry tone.

"Yes," Danni said firmly. "I need your help specifically. Come now."

She tugged on his arm again and Chris looked at Leo, who shrugged. Chris sighed and, giving in, followed the small woman to the entrance.

Danni didn't stop when she was in the doorway. She pulled Chris through until they were standing on the threshold and closed the door behind him. She then turned and looked at him expectantly.

"You know, for a whitelighter, you don't pick up on social cues very well," she said. Chris shrugged.

"Never really had much use for them in my future," he said. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "But since I now realize that you wanted to talk to me, out with it. I don't want to leave Meg alone to long."

"And there it is right there," Danni said with a pointing finger and narrowed eyes. "That's exactly what I want to talk about."

"What?" Chris asked, rather confused.

"You and Meg. What's up with you two?"

"Up with us? Nothing," Chris said extremely quickly.

"No, no, none of the quick-draw answers," Danni stated, waving her hand in the air, as if to erase his last sentence. "I want the truth. You two are awfully close for two people who have only known each other of a few days. I was fine with that before I knew who you really were, but now, I'm not so sure."

"You're not so sure?" Chris repeated, just a touch of humour in his tone. "Do I really look like I care what you think?"

"That's a classic strategy, that is, going on the defence to deflect the topic," Danni said as she folded her arms and pursed her lips. "But it's not going to work."

She sighed and stepped closer to him, resting her hand on his arm. Chris looked down at it, not sure whether he welcomed it or not, before looking back up at her.

"Look, I like you, Chris. Quite a lot actually. You saved my best friend's life for a start off. But aside from that, you're a good guy. You treat Meg really well, as if you care about her. And that's what I'm worried about."

She paused for a second to give him a chance to answer, frowning slightly when it became clear that he wasn't going to.

"Meg likes you, and from what I've seen, you like her. But you don't belong here, Chris. This isn't your world. Not saying that you're not welcome here, because you definitely are. But you're going to go back home…?"

She paused again and this time Chris answered with a single, silent nod.

"Right. You're going home and Meg's staying here. If things continue the way I see them going, my bestie is going to get her heart broken."

She let go of his arm and took his hand between hers, squeezing it. "I don't want that happening, not after what she's just come through. You can see why I'm a little worried, can't you?"

Chris was silent for a short time, reading her expression. What he found there made him glad that Meg had someone like this woman in her life.

And also a little disappointed that she wouldn't be long in his.

"You don't need to worry, nothing is going to happen," he said quietly. Disbelief transformed Danni's expression.

"Really? I've seen the way you look at her."

"Nothing is going to happen," Chris said again, more firmly this time. "It can't. Like you said, we're from two different worlds."

"That no reason or excuse," Danni accused gently. "Frank and I are from two different worlds. He was a snobby prick when I met him, looking down his nose at the third-class working girl who just wouldn't leave him alone."

Chris smirked. "Working girl?"

"Not like that, you numbskull!" Danni said with a laugh as she smacked him on the shoulder. "I meant that I had a nine-to-five job, while he could swan around, doing nothing if he so chose. Thankfully, he didn't, but stop trying to chance the subject."

She stepped back again and put her hands on her hips. "My point is that being from two different places in life isn't a reason to not get together."

"You sound like you're now trying to encourage us," Chris pointed out. Danni groaned.

"I do, don't I? See, I'm conflicted as well. Personally, I'd love for you two to get it on, you'd be great together. But I don't want Meg hurt." She looked at him and cocked her head. "Or you either for that matter."

Chris sighed. "Neither of us are going to end up hurt, because nothing more than friendship is going on, now or in the future," he insisted. "I promise."

"You can honestly tell me you can live with her for however long, and resist the chemistry that fills the room the moment you look at each other?"

Chris paused. Could he? _Should_ he? Danni was right. He liked Meg, a lot, and he was attracted to her. And from what she'd whispered when they were going down the stairs, she was attracted to him as well.

He shuddered as he thought of the way his heart had stopped and his blood had heated at those three, whispered little words. He knew she would never had said them if she hadn't been under the influence, or at least would have just thought them, but that didn't mean they hadn't affected him.

It was slightly embarrassing just how much they had affected him.

But he had his mission. He'd vowed just before he and Bianca had sent him back, not to become distracted by anything, or to let anything stand in his way. He needed to save his brother. Now that he knew he _was_ going to save him, that mission should be all he was focusing on. And if that wasn't enough… He sighed.

Bianca.

He was highly confused. He'd loved the phoenix with everything he had. He'd been hurt and angry when she'd betrayed him, shocked when she'd switched sides again, and then devastated when she'd died. He didn't allow himself to think of that often. It was too painful. So he focused on the betrayal aspect of the equation, giving everyone the impression that he didn't care.

He did. So much so that he he'd thanked a higher power for the thousand's time, that he'd thought to defend himself against Phoebe by taking an empathy blocking potion.

But then this thing with Meg had happened, and his unexpected and confusing feelings had come out of nowhere, blindsiding him. It didn't seem right. Why was he feeling this way for another woman when his fiancé, whom he'd loved, had just died?

He shook his head. No, nothing was going to happen. If anything, he wasn't going to tarnish the memories of the good times he'd had with Bianca by hooking up with Meg. He looked at Danni, who was watching him with a frown.

"You're going to have to trust me," he said. "Nothing is going to happen. We're friends, and we'll _just_ be friends when I figure out how they hell I got here, and how to get back."

Danni searched his eyes for a moment before her mouth turned up in a sad smile.

"I can see you mean that," she murmured. "And I won't lie, I'm a little let down. Like I said, you two would be good together. Just… just let her down gently, would you? Don't be too harsh, though you may not even have to deal with that problem. Meg's not big on making the first move."

She suddenly grinned and Chris stiffened in surprise when she stepped forward again and threw her arms around him.

"Though it's turning out that way I want it, and not the way I want it at the same time, I am glad some wonky spell brought you here, Christopher Halliwell," she said as she squeezed hard. "If a friend is all you'll be to her, then you'll be a fantastic friend, and Meg needs those more than ever at the moment."

She stepped back and grinned cheekily at him. "And hey, you even have someone to learn from if you need to."

Chris laughed, the last thing he'd expected to do during a 'what are your intentions' conversation. He should have known better. Danni was weird, plain and simple. A good weird, but weird still.

Yes, he was going to be disappointed to see that back of her when he left.

"I think I can handle it," he said dryly. "Now, if you're done with the mother-hen routine, I really need to get back inside."

"Righto, back to our Meg you go," Danni said cheerfully. "When she wakes up, tell her I'm pop over and check on you guys tomorrow. I want to hear more of this spell."

"You and me both," Chris said. Danni grinned, and with a small wave, turned and headed to her car.

"Danni?" Chris called after her. The tiny bullet stopped and looked back over her shoulder at him.

"You're right. She has got a fantastic friend that I can learn off."

Danni's smile split her face, making it glow. She winked and wiggled her fingers in a 'toodles' gesture before all but dancing towards her car. Chris shook his head and turned to open the door, seeing exactly how Frank caved in the end.

No one could stand up to Hurricane Danni for long.

~0~

Chris met Leo's curious gaze as he walked in. He looked away quickly, feeling a little awkward. He wasn't used to spending any time alone with the Elder. He should have been, the man was his father after all, but then again, just because two people shared DNA, doesn't mean they were family. His mouth turned down at that thought and he snorted bitterly. Leo definitely wasn't his family.

Chris didn't have any family.

Which was one of things he'd hopefully come back to change. His mouth firmed with determination. It was another reason not to let himself become distracted by a certain mortal. He had a mission and nothing, _nothing,_ was going to stop him from completing it.

"What was that about?" Leo asked and Chris shrugged nonchalantly.

"Nothing, don't worry about it," he muttered. Leo frowned, but Chris ignored him, heading towards the computer. He already knew what the email said, but he needed something to do. Unfortunately, the Elder followed him.

"So that's all you've got? Just an email?" Leo asked and Chris resisted the urge to move his shoulders in agitation as he lent over his shoulder. He stood back up and turned around, forcing Leo to step back. Chris frowned at him in disbelief.

"All I've got? I_ have_ been busy, you know!" he scorned, glancing down at his knuckles as they suddenly pulsed in time with his words.

"Yeah, I know," Leo answered. Guilt flashed across his face again and he seemed to steel himself.

"She was right," he said and Chris folded his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Am I supposed to know what you're talking about?" he asked, sarcasm flowing heavily.

"Meg. She was right. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions when I saw your hands," Leo said. "I should have known that you wouldn't do something like that. It's not who you are. I'm sorry."

Chris only just stopped his jaw from hitting the floor. Leo, the suspicious, all-knowing Elder, was apologizing? To _him? Why?_ From what he knew of his father, Leo didn't apologize. About anything. He hadn't said sorry once during Chris's childhood and teenage years, and lord knows he'd needed to.

"Ah… that okay," he muttered, uncomfortable with this friendly, unprofessional Leo.

"No. It's not," Leo said and Chris's eyes widened. "She was right as well when she said I told you I trusted you. I do. You're good at your job. So we need to get you back to doing it. Whether the sisters will admit it or not, they're safer with you there."

He turned back to the computer, not looking at Chris, who just stood there blinking in shock. Warmth surged through him as his father complemented him for the first time ever. Not that Leo knew he was his father. So it shouldn't have really mattered.

It did. Chris frowned as confusion was once again his dominate emotion. He didn't need this. He didn't need Leo acting all buddy-buddy. Not on top of Meg.

He shoved the annoying elation away and moved away from Leo, putting some distance between them. Whatever he said or did didn't matter in the scheme of things, because Chris was never going to forgive him. It also didn't matter that he didn't know what he'd done. He was still him. He was still his father.

Leo had destroyed any chance he had with him when Chris was still a kid. He wasn't going to get another one.


	12. Chapter 12 - Exposes

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Danni and Meg

**A/N - Right, back to normal. It's very short, I know. Sorry about that, but the chapter took a turn I hadn't anticipated. Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter Twelve – Exposés**

_Leo had destroyed any chance he had with him when Chris was still a kid. He wasn't going to get another one. _

* * *

Meg sat bolt upright as she was abruptly thrust into consciousness. She blinked and threw the covers back, standing quickly, swaying as her mind tried to untangle itself from sleep. She shot across her bedroom, reeling as she stumbled and scrambled, fumbling her way up the stairs. She stopped, the sleep finally clearing from her mind as she took in her two unexpected houseguests.

Leo was sitting on the sofa, flipping through a book, a frown on his face, while Chris sat at the computer, moving the mouse and clicking what looked like randomly. They both looked up when Meg appeared at the top of the stairs. Leo smiled at her while Chris frowned and stood.

"Good morning, Meg," Leo said. "Or evening as it were."

"Evening? Did I really sleep that long?" Meg asked in surprise

"Yes," Chris answered, his tone curt. He was staring at her, his eyes travelling over her face. He seemed to be looking for something. Whatever it was, she didn't think he found it, because he quickly looked away and turned back to the computer.

"Is something the matter?" Leo asked. "You fairly flew up those stairs."

"No, no, nothing's wrong," Meg answered hurriedly as Chris turned back towards her again, just a touch of concern showing in his gaze. "I'm just… hungry. Really hungry. Have you guys eaten? No? Great, I'll make something. Chris, want to come help me?"

A bemused expression crossed Chris's face as he reached up to scratch the back of his head.

"Help? Ah, I'm not the best in the kitchen," Chris muttered.

"So you can carry stuff. Come on," Meg said firmly as she grabbed his hand, towing him after her.

Chris frowned. "Christ, what is with you women dragging me everywhere today?" he grumbled.

"I have to talk to you," Meg hissed out the corner of her mouth. She stopped and turned to face him as soon as the kitchen door closed behind them.

"Did he see them?"

"See what?" the whitelighter asked, frowning again as confusion trickled through him.

"The DVD's, Chris! Did Leo see the Charmed DVD's, season six especially?"

"What? No, of course he didn't! I shoved them under the sofa before we sat down to explain this to him! I'm not that stupid! What do you take me for?"

"Okay, okay, no need to get defensive," Meg said as she held up her hands. "I was just wondering. The thought and the worry it produced woke me up."

"So you came barrelling up here to make sure I'd done my job? Come on, Meg, you should have more faith then that! I _have_ been doing this a lot longer then you!"

"Jeez, okay, I get it; take it down a notch, would you?" Meg snapped as she put her hands on her hips and glared at him, guilt just starting to make itself known. "What's got your knickers in a knot?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it," Chris muttered, turning away from her and heading towards the fridge. "So we going make something to eat or not? You said you had to eat regularly, didn't you?"

Meg sighed, her hand going to her forehead as the back of her head began to beat in time with her pulse. She rubbed her temple, hoping to sooth the ache away without having to take more pills.

"Christopher?"

"What?"

He still didn't turn around, just stood there, bent over, peering into the fridge.

"You're right. I'm sorry."

That certainly made him stand up and face her quickly.

"You've been doing this a long time, longer then you should have. I'm just a regular joe bloggs. I already know that I trust you, I really need to turn my words into actions."

Something flickered through those amazing green eyes, and Chris frowned for the fourth time in ten minutes, his hands burying themselves in his pockets. He seemed almost awkward, which wasn't an emotion Meg was familiar with when it came to his character. He'd always acted so confident while doing his whitelighter duties. The only time she could remember him acting uncomfortable was when his father had tried to bond with him, and he hadn't liked that he'd wanted to respond to it.

_Maybe that was it,_ she thought. _Maybe Leo being here is what's making him prickly and defensive. Well, he'd just have to get used to it, especially if – when we succeed in sending them back._

"Yeah, okay, now let's get some food on the go," Chris mumbled, turning back to the fridge.

Meg smiled. "You do know that that was a way to get you away from Leo."

"Still gotta eat. You'll feel better once you do."

Amusement and sheepishness made her smile bloom. She should have known that he would see the headache. She headed towards him, bumping him out of the way with her hip.

"So let the expert in then, would you? It's actually got to be edible."

Chris shrugged and stepped back, his host taking his place. She pulled out some chicken and the makings for a salad, before reaching into the cupboard for some pre-made crumb mix.

"I would have thought you'd know how to cook, what with Piper being your mother," Meg commented as she crumbed the chicken and stuck it in the oven to bake. She rolled her eyes when Chris glanced towards the closed kitchen door anxiously.

"He can't hear you. Even Elders can't hear through doors. But it brings up a good point. What are you going to do if he does find out who you are while he's here?"

"He won't," Chris said brusquely. Meg hummed and pushed the salad mixings towards him.

"You know that he does eventually," she said in a quiet voice, showing him what to do.

"Maybe that's something we have to change," Chris said, his entire focus on the lettuce he was shredding.

"No. No, Christopher, it's not," Meg stated as she reached out to still his busy hands. Chris looked up at her, his eyes shuttered.

"He loves you. He does," she stressed as Chris shook his head. "Maybe not now, but he will the instant he finds out who you are."

"No, he won't. Believe me, he definitely won't," Chris said, his voice too calm. "I was nothing but a nuisance to him when I was a kid. If he didn't want anything to do with me then, he's not going to have a different opinion now."

Meg frowned and pursed her lips. He'd seen the episode where he di- she swallowed. She couldn't even think the word. But he'd seen that episode, how could he think Leo didn't or wouldn't love him? Unless…

"How much of It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World, Part Two did you watch?" she asked. Chris frowned at her.

"What?"

"The last episode of the season. How much of it did you watch? Did you finish it?"

"No," Chris said and Meg silently groaned. "I stopped after my death."

Meg flinched, making the whitelighter frown again. Well that explained it. He didn't see Leo's reaction to his dea- disappearance. Though the way the Elder acted while he was disappearing should have given him an indication.

Then again, Chris was stubborn. If he chose not to believe what he saw, he wouldn't.

"What's wrong?" the whitelighter asked, bringing Meg back to the conversation. She swallowed again, watching Chris re-start his lettuce.

"You say that so casually now. Your d-dea- ah, your death. Like you don't care."

Chris shrugged. "I knew it might happen when I came back. I'd prepared for it. As long as I stop this Elder before he gets to my brother, my death doesn't matter."

He looked back down at his salad as he said this, so he didn't see the look on Meg's face as her eyes snapped up, or the way her hands tightened and fisted. It was hard enough for her to think that Chris was going back just to die, but the fact that he didn't seem to care… did he not value his life? Did he not value _himself? _Did he think he was so insignificant that his death wouldn't matter in the end, as long as he saved Wyatt? Her jaw clenched, a lump consisting mainly of anger and grief swelling in her throat. For this man to think so little of himself, to not _care _that his actions would bring about his demise, all for the Greater Good… a voice began to scream a denial in the back of her mind. Screw the Greater Good. If Chris couldn't have his happy ending as well, it wasn't that much of a great good anyway.

In that moment, on top of her vow to see that he had some fun while he was there, Meg made another promise to herself.

She would make him realize that he wasn't a means to an end if it was the last thing she did.

~0~

Leo was still in the same position when Chris and Meg walked back in to the living room, carrying their dinner. His brows rose when he saw the green salad and baked chicken, turning to look at Chris in amusement.

"What?" the whitelighter asked self-consciously.

"This is healthy."

"So?"

"So, you don't eat healthy. Or at least you don't whenever I happen to see you eating."

"Yeah, well, it has to be healthy, doesn't it? Meg's diabetic."

Leo turned to look at the mortal in surprise. "You are?"

"Yes, I am, but that doesn't mean you have to eat what I eat," she said to Chris, feeling guilty once again. "Just because I have to eat from the bottom of the food pyramid, doesn't mean you have to give up sugar as well."

Chris put down his fork and met her eyes. "I turn up out of the blue, with only a twenty in my pocket, and end up staying on your couch, with no way to pay for my lodging. I'll eat whatever is put in front of me."

He sighed and scowled when Meg opened her mouth to protest.

"I'm putting you out enough as it is, Meg. I'll accommodate myself to you, not the other way round. Now, I'd like to eat if you don't mind. I'm hungry."

Leo chuckled quietly as Meg sat there, stumped. Slowly, her surprised expression transformed into a frown. He wasn't putting her out. At all. If anything, he was making her life better. If he hadn't been here when Fergus showed up, there's no telling what her ex might have done to her.

And that wasn't even the half of it. Her life had never been as interesting as it was now. Or as bright. Christopher had shined a spotlight right into her boring little world. He's turned everything on its head and messed everything up, leaving her reeling. He'd gotten into her blood and was slowly, against her will, sneaking his way into her heart.

He'd made her laugh, and taken care of her when she'd needed it. He'd taken her out of her own head and made her realize there was more to life than just living day to day. He'd made her think and he'd definitely made her want.

It had gotten to the point that she couldn't imagine her world without him in it anymore.

She froze with her fork half way to her mouth, Chris and Leo's voices fading into the background as they spoke of their research progress. Her heart started pounding in a rapid, out-of-control rhythm as her breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening in panic. No. It couldn't be, could it? She can't have. Lord, no.

Sneaking? It looked like he'd already successfully snuck.

Please, please say she hadn't done something unbelievably foolish like fallen in love with Christopher Perry Halliwell.


	13. Chapter 13 - Two kinds of despair

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Danni and Meg

**Chapter Thirteen – Two kinds of despair**

_Please, please say she hadn't done something unbelievable foolish like fallen in love with Christopher Perry Halliwell._

* * *

Stupid! Stupid, stupid, _stupid! _How could she possibly be so idiotic? To fall in love with someone who lived in another city, or even another country, would be hard enough, but to give your heart to someone from another _reality? _One who was definitely going back and would probably never think again of the person they had stayed with so briefly.

She swallowed hard. It didn't make any sense! They'd known each other less than a week, how could she possibly love him in such a short time? Sure, she always fell fast, she'd thought she'd loved Fergus after a month, but that had been a _month_, not a week! And anyway, look how that had turned out!

She mentally kicked herself. Then did it again. And a third time. But the rebuke still didn't change what both her heart and her head were telling her. She stared down at her mostly full plate, her appetite quickly biting the dust as she envisioned a long, dark future, alone and Christopher-less.

_Wow, dramatic much honeybunch? Sheesh._

Never mind what a mental Danni might think, it was still true. She taken a chance on her ex and ended up broken, both emotionally and physically. She may not end up physically broken with Chris, but emotionally was a given. She didn't think she'd have the strength to open herself a third time.

"Meg?"

She looked up, at the very man who had sent her into a tailspin. Chris was frowning at her in concern.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing!" she forced out hurriedly, really not wanting him to know what she was thinking. "I'm fine! So how's the research going? Find anything more on the spell?"

The whitelighter's frown deepened at the blatant change of subject, but he didn't push. He instead grimaced and shared an irritated glance with Leo.

"No," he huffed. "We can't find a mention of it anywhere. The internet isn't helping at all. It's like it doesn't exist. We've looked through a few books I got from the library – borrowed your card by the way – but we need a more extensive source. What might help is if we went out to search through those Wiccan stores."

"I don't understand why I haven't heard of it," Leo said, the frustration in his tone very easy to read. "I'm an Elder, our knowledge is extremely vast!"

Meg snorted. "You do realize how egotistical you sounded right then, don't you?"

Chris shook his head when all Leo did was look puzzled.

"Welcome to my world," he deadpanned.

Meg chuckled and then took pity on the Elder, who still looked confused. She put her steadily going cold dinner on the coffee table and headed for the computer. With a couple of clicks, she had the author's profile up.

"Why don't we ask to see the book the spell came from?" she suggested. "Look, they live in the States. If they agree, it should be here in a few days."

"They'll just send a book that's probably a family heirloom clear across the country to a complete stranger?" Leo asked doubtfully.

"How do you know it's clear across the county?" Meg countered. "You never know, they could live in this very city. There's only one way to find out."

"You could try, I suppose, but the sisters would never do what you're asking. Their Book is theirs and doesn't leave the house."

"Well, they aren't here, are they? This is about you two, not them."

"And that's probably the first time Leo's ever heard someone say that," Chris smirked. Meg grinned and him and then quickly turned back to the screen as her heart squeezed painfully when he grinned back. Stupid freaking emotions.

She quickly opened up a private message and twiddled her fingers as she thought of what to say. While she did that, Leo and Chris broke down the spell for, by the sounds of it, about the tenth time.

"_Let him come, and learn what must._ What are you supposed to be learning?" Leo questioned.

"I asked exactly the same thing," Chris grumbled, attacking his chicken.

"And what about this: _To defeat what needs, and complete the just._ What are you defeating and what is a 'just?'"

"Asking that same questions over and over again isn't going to suddenly spark any answers," the whitelighter sighed.

"Yes, but it's obviously the important part of the spell. The first part is a basic summoning."

"If it was a basic summoning, Meg wouldn't have been able to make it work," Chris pointed out, using his fork for emphasis.

Leo frowned as he chewed. "That's true." He turned to the mortal.

"Are you absolutely positive you don't have a Wiccan heritage or magic buried somewhere in your past?"

Meg snorted at the keyboard.

"Trust me, that's just not possible. My family are devout Roman Catholics, have been for generations, and would never step away from that to study another religion, let alone a magical one. On top of that, my immediate family do _not _support the supernatural or anything related to it at all. It's dark and a temptation from the devil to them. I'm only one of a few who aren't following the rest of the family's footsteps."

"What about an ancestor?" the Elder suggested thoughtfully. "Your family's from Ireland originally, right?"

"It's where my parents grew up and I spent the first six years of my life," Meg answered with a nod, looking back over her shoulder.

"So you may have an Irish ancestor who was around when magic was an everyday thing in Ireland. It could be in your blood."

"I doubt it," Meg muttered.

"Can you speak Gaelic?" Chris asked curiously.

"No. When I said that my parents avoided the supernatural, I meant all types of it, Irish folklore included. My father would have had a cow if my mother so much as brought up the idea that I learn our native language," she said a little bitterly. "I did look at learning when I married Fergus, but he put a stop to that as well."

"You can always learn now," Leo said as Chris scowled. Meg sighed and stood back up.

"Email's sent. And yes, I could, I'd planned to, but I just haven't gotten round to it yet. It's amazing how much time everyday life takes up."

She blinked as she was suddenly overcome with a rush of tiredness, making her slightly dizzy. "Now if that's all boys, I think I might hit the hay again."

"You didn't finish your dinner," Chris protested.

Meg shrugged, the thought of eating on top of her distressing recent realizations making her stomach churn. "Not hungry anymore."

"But-"

"Let her go, Chris. She needs all the sleep she can get to heal as fast as possible."

Meg sent Leo a grateful look. She glanced at Chris to say goodnight, only to end up caught in his intense gaze. The shields were clearly nowhere in sight, a multitude of emotions swirling through the green. Meg swallowed as she read one of the most prominent ones. Chris was _worried_ about her. Her Christopher was focusing on something besides his mission, a major feat in itself.

_Her Christopher? He's not yours and he never will be! Get that thought out of your head right now, Megan O'Connor! It'll be bad enough when he leaves, don't make it any worse for yourself!_

She sighed again and rubbed her eyes, breaking the hold his eyes had on her. Her heart was already splintering a little, just the thought of Chris leaving making it ache. She was doomed. Utterly doomed.

"Umm, right. Bed," she said in a small voice as she turned to the stairs. "Night all."

"Meg, wait!"

She halted and looked back over her shoulder again her will. Chris. She sighed. She just wanted to get away from him for a while. Give herself a chance to come to terms with what her heart was telling her, and to build up some defences. She was sure to crumble when he left if she didn't.

"Ah… Danni said she'd come over and check on you tomorrow."

Meg frowned. Okay. Well that was a little random. She'd already figured that out, her best friend would never have left her to fend for herself, even if she did have two houseguests to watch out for her. She'd worry too much if she did.

"Fine," she said quietly. "See you in the morning."

"Night, Meg," Leo called. Chris didn't say anything else, but Meg didn't mind. She would have a hard enough time sleeping anyway, his voice being the last thing she heard wouldn't have made it any easier.

~0~

Knocking. Irritating knocking. Meg turned in her bed and groaned, trying to make it go away. She'd slept fitfully, only really falling into a deeper sleep around three in the morning. No matter how hard she'd tried to make it, her brain just hadn't wanted to shut up. It had gone round and round on the Christopher issue, stressing her out and bringing her down, until tears had slipped past her guard. She hated herself for crying over a man again, but she just couldn't seem to help it.

The tears had helped a little though, emotionally exhausting her so that her brain had given in and she'd finally slept. Now, she didn't want to wake up. The knocking stopped and she settled back down with a sigh.

Only to start again two minutes later. Louder this time, until she could hear the door rattle with the pounding.

"Alright already! I'm coming! Christ!"

She couldn't help but smile at Chris's annoyed mutter. Her eyes still closed, she heard the door open, a questioning murmur and Chris's deeper answer. She frowned in confusion as the new voice got louder.

And angrier.

"MEGAN DORCHA MCNULTY!"

Meg shot up in bed. Dear God, _no!_

She scrambled out of bed and rushed up the stairs, not even bothering to change out of her pyjamas. She slammed to a stop at the top of the stairs, her gaze locked on the older couple who were standing in the doorway. The man was tall and heavyset, his thinning red hair combed back neatly, his blue eyes hard. The woman was harder to notice as she shadowed the man, her long brown hair parted severely down the middle and pulled back into a tight bun. She looked up briefly and Meg met eyes that would have been identical to hers if they hadn't been so timid. The mortal grimaced and looked back at the man who had woken the house up with his shouting.

"Daddy," she said weakly. "Umm, what are you doing here? And my last name is back to O'Connor now, you know that."

"Your husband's last name is McNulty, your last name is McNulty," Carrick O'Connor growled as he glared at his daughter.

"He's not my husband anymore, Daddy," Meg said with a frown.

The Irishman scoffed. "Marriage is for a lifetime, Megan. He will always be your husband, no matter how many tantrums you throw."

Meg sighed. This what she hated about her family, her father in particular. He was so close-minded. In his mind, his beliefs were the right beliefs and no one was allowed to disagree.

Her mother wasn't so bad when she was by herself. But she was very much an echo of her husband when they were together, supporting and following him to a degree that she lost her own personality. It infuriated Meg, who as a teenager had begged her mother to get a life away from Carrick. Her mother hadn't listened. She could be as stubborn as her husband when she wanted to be, and she loved Carrick to a degree that was scarily obsessive.

Meg looked at her again and smile. "Hello, Ma."

"Meg," Fiona O'Connor said softly.

"Her name is Megan, woman, call her that!" her husband snapped.

"Of course, Carrick," Fiona murmured, shrinking back. Meg scowled in annoyance.

"What are you doing here?" she repeated.

"Can't a man come see his daughter with being interrogated?" Carrick bulleted out, his anger palatable. Meg opened her mouth to snap back when Leo cleared his throat.

"Oh, sorry. Guys, this is my mother and father, Carrick and Fiona O'Connor. Ma, Daddy, this is Leo Wyatt and Chris Perry-"

She stopped and her eyes widened as she noticed for the first time what her resident whitelighter was wearing. All he had on was a white singlet and a pair of tight, black boxers. Meg swallowed as she took notice of exactly _how _tight the boxers were. She looked away quickly as her face heated, a fire of another kind swimming through her blood to pool somewhere in the vicinity of her womb.

_Oh, my, my, my…_

"Maybe you better get dressed, Chris," Leo suggested, a hint of humour in his tone.

"Shit," the whitelighter muttered, quickly heading over to the first couch-

_First couch? Where the hell did the second one come from?_

-and picking up his pants, slipping them on. Meg took a deep breath, trying to slow her racing heart. He was mainly covered now, but that still didn't make him any less sexy. She frowned as her gaze ran over him. Since when were bare feet hot?

"Why are they here, Megan?" Carrick demanded. Meg's brows drew down at his rudeness.

"They're friends who needed a place to stay for a while," she said, not at all worried about lying to him. She'd done it all the time as a teenager, her rebellious side very prominent back then.

"Friends," her father sneered and Meg stiffened at the implication behind the word. She sensed both Chris and Leo still as well. "What does Fergus have to say about this?"

"He has nothing to say about this, as he isn't a part of my life anymore… hold on. Why did you think he might have an opinion?"

She looked at her mother as the pieces began to click together, her suspicions from the hospital coming back rapidly.

"Ma?" she whispered, appalled. Her mother had been the only person she'd told where she was going when she'd left. "Please tell me you didn't."

"She told me where you were, as she should, and I told Fergus!" Carrick shot out, making Meg go cold. "He's your husband; you had no right to keep your whereabouts from him! You shouldn't have left in the first place!"

"Shouldn't have left in the first place?" Meg echoed in disbelief. "He hit me, Daddy! Can you not see the bandage on my cheek? I got this because you informed my _abusive husband_ where I was!"

"Ex-husband," Chris said and Meg smiled at him. Aside from a glare from her father, her parents ignored him.

"Then you need to try harder to keep him happy!" Carrick growled. "Your mother manages to do it; you should live up to her example!"

"You don't hit her though, do you?" Meg scorned. She sucked in a sharp breath when something in Fiona's eyes flickered.

"Oh, Ma, no," she whispered as guilt flooded her. How could she not have known? She'd spent twenty years of her life with this couple, and she hadn't noticed any violence?

At least now she knew why her father had hand-picked Fergus for her. They were birds of a feather, two peas in a pod.

It was horrifying.

"Enough!" Carrick spat, his face reddening with rage. "A man's marriage isn't anyone else's business but his own! What goes on in it is private and not for the world to hear about!"

He advanced on his daughter, making Chris surge forward as well, Leo just a step or two behind him. Meg waved them back. She wasn't afraid of him, never had been. He'd shouted and disapproved and made her feel like a piece of trash most of her life, but he'd never been physical with her.

"And you go and advertise to the world what was yours and Fergus's business, running from him and shaming your family?! Disgusting! Then you shack up with two strange men like some common _whore-_"

"HEY! Watch your mouth!" Chris snarled, rushing forward again to stand beside Meg, leaning towards her father furiously.

"I am not a whore!" Meg snarled, angrier then she'd been in a long while. Unpleasant memories were trying to take over her mind, but she didn't back down. She had a temper, inherited from the man standing in front of her, and it was time to stop being scared to let it out.

"You have disapproved of me all my life, which has hurt me time and time again! I tried being who you want me to be, I even went along with you setting me up with Fergus to try and please you, and because of that I ended up in the hospital more times than I can count! I left him because I got sick of being used as a punching bag, and then you come into _my _home, ranting and raging, pushing your beliefs and opinions on me and insulting my friends! I have left Fergus and I'm not going back. Ever! If you can't find it in your heart to support that decision, well maybe you shouldn't be a part of my life anymore!"

Carrick's mouth fell open as Meg breathed heavily, her outburst making her blood pound in her ears. She glared at her father disdainfully, who had recovered and now had a sneer on his face.

"Fine! I don't want someone like you in my family! From now on, I don't have a daughter! Come, Fiona, we're leaving!" he hissed. He turned and stalked out the door, not even once looking back at the daughter he'd just disowned.

Meg took a deep breath and looked at her mother, who was standing glued to the spot, wide-eyed.

"You don't have to go with him, Ma," she said softly. A hopeless expression appeared in the hazel eyes that mother and daughter shared.

"Yes, I do," she whispered. Meg swallowed, the tears that her father's words had produced starting to slip down her cheeks.

"Oh, Ma," she whispered, her voice breaking. She leaned into Chris when he touched her shoulder.

"FIONA!"

Fiona O'Connor jumped and sighed, turning towards the door. She stopped just before walking through and turned back to Meg.

"I'm proud of you, my daughter," she murmured, a ghost of a smile on her lips. Meg moaned and turned into Chris, burying her face against his chest. Her shoulders shook as she cried. Chris ran his hand down her hair.

"She will always take you in if you ever wa-need it," he told the older woman quietly.

"I know," Fiona said in a defeated voice. "Take care of her, please."

Chris murmured an affirmative and Meg cried harder, knowing that he wouldn't. He wouldn't be around to take care of her.

He was going home.

She heard her mother sigh again and then the sound of her heels meeting concrete as she walked away, following the man she loved beyond anything else. Meg choked and sobbed, clutching Chris tightly as her chest burned. She'd always thought her mother frustrating and exasperating, and they had never been very close because of Fiona's attitude. Her telling Carrick where their daughter was, was a perfect example of why Meg only contacted her when obligation made her. But now that Meg realized that this would probably be the last time she'd ever see her mother, her despair was proving that she really did love the woman who had given birth to her, with all her heart. It hurt, a lot, that the other woman was choosing an abusive husband over a daughter who loved her.

"Shhh, it's okay, sweetheart," Chris muttered against her hair as he hugged her. Meg took the comfort, knowing that would probably be the only time she'd be able to be in his arms.

"Meg? What's wrong?"

The mortal reluctantly pulled away from Chris and looked at her best friend as Danni stepped through the door, a worried look on her face. She sent her a wobbly smile and sniffed, wiping her cheeks.

"Hey."

Danni put her hands on her hips and glared at Chris and Leo, who was staring at Chris, something dawning in his expression. Chris ignored him, his gaze on Meg as his host tried to pull herself together.

"Okay, somebody better explain to me who the freaking hell hurt my bestie and made her cry, or so help me, I won't be responsible for my actions!"

* * *

**Guest reply (Kirsty) - That's okay, I've been forgetting to reply to your reviews anyway lol. Thanks, I felt Danni would have something to say to Chris about Meg. She's too much of a good friend not to. And your right, I know where this is going to end, not sure if you'd call it a solution though... Okay enough teasing! :D Thanks for reviewing!**

**That goes for everyone else, for following, favouriting and, of course, for reading in the first place! Love you all! **


	14. Chapter 14 - Unfolding

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Danni and Meg

**Chapter Fourteen – Unfolding**

"_Okay, somebody better explain to me who the freaking hell hurt my bestie and made her cry, or so help me, I won't be responsible for my actions!"_

* * *

Meg sent her agitated friend a tired smile.

"It's okay, hun, I'm just a little emotionally overloaded at the moment."

"You must be if you're crying. You never cry," Danni said, stepping forward and taking her hand. "What's going on?"

Meg sighed and wiped her cheeks again. "I just found out who let my ex know where I was."

"Who?"

"My father."

Danni was silent for a moment, her eyes wide as she took in this unexpected piece of information. They narrowed suddenly, going hard.

"Did he know what The Asshole did to you?"

"Yes," Meg whispered. "Apparently he's been doing it to my mother their entire marriage, so he didn't see it as a problem."

"And this was the old guy with the stick up his ass that I saw leaving a second ago?

Meg snorted softly. "Yeah, that'll be him," she murmured.

She blinked when her best friend abruptly let go of her hand and turned towards the door without saying a word. Meg took a step after her, frowning at the sudden departure.

"Where are you going?"

"To kick the shit's ass."

A bubble of laughter escaped Meg's mouth, quickly dying when she realized that the petite woman was quite serious. She rushed after her, stopping her friend as she got to the door.

"Danni, you can't!"

"Why the hell not?" her avenger demanded. "He's your father; he's supposed to have your back through anything and everything! Instead, he goes and does something like this? It's appalling! He needs to know that what he's doing is wrong!"

"As much as I agree with that, making a scene would probably just end up making it worse for Meg's mother," Leo spoke up quietly. "She needs to know that she has a safe haven to come to if she ever decides to leave him – causing more drama wouldn't do anything towards giving her that confidence."

"So, what, we just let the creep get away with what he did to Meg and what he's been doing to her mother?" Danni shot out, anger turning the usually cheerful woman into a snarling she-wolf. "We can't do that! It's not right!"

"I know it isn't, Danni, but there's nothing we can do about it! I'd really hate it if any action from us would end up causing my mother pain! Please, just leave this be!" Meg pleaded. Danni stared at her silently.

"That's what you want?" she asked, her shoulders slumping when Meg quickly nodded. She sighed.

"Fine. But if he ever comes back here-"

"He won't," Meg said in a soft voice. "According to him, I'm not his daughter anymore."

"Good riddance," Chris muttered, making Danni grin. "Fathers who treat their children badly shouldn't be fathers at all."

Meg glanced back over her shoulder at the whitelighter, her brows raising. She knew that Leo didn't know who he was to Chris, so making a comment like that wouldn't have any effect on him. Chris looked up at her and their eyes met, holding for a moment before he dropped his gaze again. The brief look told her that he'd made that comment for a reason. Maybe he was trying to drill something into Leo so that when the time came, he'd treat Chris – his son, Chris, not the one standing in the room now – he'd treat him differently.

She closed her eyes as the thought made her head ache. She was having a hard enough time dealing with her feelings for Chris and now her father as well. Adding the younger man's problems in at the moment was just too much. She needed to deal with her own mess before she could even consider tackling the mountain that was Chris and Leo's relationship – a mountain that would only get higher when the Elder found out who Chris really was.

Ignoring the guilt she felt about putting Chris's problems on the backburner, she turned back to Danni and drew her back into the room, closing the door behind her. Her friend came willingly but Meg could tell she wasn't happy. Danni had a very clear view of right and wrong. To her, shades of grey just didn't exist – it was either black or white, nothing in between.

"Man, I could really do with a cup of tea," Meg stated out of the blue. She smirked to herself when Danni predictably turned towards the kitchen, her ire immediately cooling in the face of making Meg's troubles.

"Coming right up," she said. Meg looked over when Chris let out a soft snort.

"Nice diversion," he said dryly. Meg smiled and shrugged.

"I know how she ticks," she said and the whitelighter grinned. Concern soon replaced his amusement as he took in her red-rimmed eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a rough voice. Meg sighed and shrugged again.

"Not really," she answered honestly. "How could I not have known, Christopher? I lived with them for twenty years, shouldn't there have been visible signs? There were definitely ones with me if people had chosen to look hard enough."

Chris's mouth settled into a hard line. "You were a kid, Meg. Your mother would have probably done her best to make sure that you didn't see anything." He frowned suddenly and his gaze sharpened. "He didn't ever hit you, did he?"

"That was going to be my next question," Danni said as she walked out of the kitchen carrying a tray of tea and coffee. She sat it down on the coffee table and gestured for everyone to sit. Meg sighed as the first sip of the hot, strong tea when a long way to soothing her. She loved her coffee, but tea had always been her go-to drink when she was upset or sick.

"No, he never hit me," she answered. "He did set me up with Fergus, though, so it amounts to the same thing when you think about it."

"Prick," Danni muttered and Meg smiled at her. She leaned back against the couch and closed her aching eyes.

"If you don't mind, I'd really like to change the subject," she said in a quiet voice. She'd had enough of this topic.

"So did you find anything more out about the spell?" Danni asked the wightlighter and the Elder cheerfully. Meg grinned, her eyes still closed. She loved having friends she could count on.

"No, nothing else," Leo answered. "We need to do more research.

"We could do that today!" Meg suggested eagerly, popping back up again. "Go check out those Wiccan stores!"

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Leo asked and Meg nodded.

"I think getting out of the house would be a very good thing at the moment," she said.

"Then that's what we'll do," Chris said in a decisive tone.

"You do realize that it's not on the internet, you probably won't find it anywhere else," Danni said and Meg turned to send her a baleful look.

"Right. Off to the bookstore we go," Danni said, backtracking fast. Meg nodded and, putting down her now empty teacup, stood up.

"Give me half an hour."

~0~

She walked back up in a little less than half an hour, stopping when she saw Chris in his glamour and Leo still Leo, both wearing a completely different set of clothes. She blinked and frowned in confusion.

"They needed to change," Danni said as she glanced over and saw Meg's look. "Chris here especially. I had some clothes left over from when my brother stayed for a while, and Chris is about the same size as him. Plus I thought some of Frank's stuff might fit Leo." She reached over and straightened Chris's collar, grinning up at him. "So I got Hero here to orb me home and we picked them up. Look good, don't they?"

"Yeah," Meg muttered, busy battling the surge of irrational jealously that had flooded her the second Danni had touched Chris. And then Chris must have had to hold her to orb her… her hands fisted at her sides as irritation joined the party. The thought of his hands on anyone else but her was aggravating and painful.

_Whoa there girl, what the hell are you thinking?! Chris can touch whomever he wants! He isn't yours so stop acting so possessive!_

She sighed as her common sense butted in and set her straight. That's right, Chris _wasn't_ hers. Besides, it wasn't like there was anything other than friendship between her friend and the whitelighter. Danni had a steady boyfriend who she loved with all her heart, and Chris…

Chris had the memory of a much-loved fiancé to keep him warm at night.

She sighed again and looked at Chris as he fiddled with his cuffs, actually taking in what he was wearing. Sheer want replaced her jealousy as her eyes slowly ran over him. God, the man could fill out a pair of jeans! Add in the tight black sweater and the blue shirt under it, and you really had a winner. She was actually quite glad his hair wasn't his regular brown and his eyes green, otherwise she would surely would have melted into a pool of lust on the floor by now.

She found it funny that she could still be attracted to his glamour, even though he didn't look anything like him. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that who he was just pulsed through – she thought she'd be able to recognize him even if he was wearing the body of an eighty-year-old black transvestite.

She looked over at Leo and shook her head, grinning at her weird thoughts. Now that would be interesting to see.

"Why aren't you wearing a glamour?" she asked him. The Elder looked surprised.

"Do I need one?"

"Yes, you do," she said. "Brian Krause is a main character on Charmed. You go out looking like him; we may end up having some trouble."

Leo looked at Chris who rolled his eyes.

"Fine," he sighed, lifting his hand and clicking his fingers. White lights zoomed over Leo and suddenly he was no longer himself. His hair was brown, longer and slightly curled, while his eyes were now a light greenish brown. Meg stared at him as a jolt ran through her, her eyes narrowing – something about him was incredibly familiar. Where had she seen that face before?

"What? Did something go wrong?" Leo asked, lifting his hand to touch his nose. Meg frowned and shook her head before turning to Chris, who was watching her very closely, something in his eyes she couldn't read. She cocked her head and the un-known expression cleared.

"Do you think you could do something like that to this?" she asked, gesturing to her bandaged cheek. "I don't fancy getting stared at all day and it may make it harder to get information, especially if people see your hands as well."

Chris glanced down at the bandages on his knuckles and grimaced before looking at her again, frowning in thought.

"Glamouring a single part of a body instead of the whole thing? I've never tried it, but I'll give it a go," he said. A look of concentration crossed his face and he clicked his fingers.

Nothing happened.

"Maybe you need to, ah, touch her," Leo suggested gently. Chris blinked.

"I've never had to touch someone to glamour them before," he said.

"Yes, but then you were doing the entire appearance, not just a part of it," Leo pointed out. "If you touch the part you want to glamour, it might work better."

Chris stared at him for a moment and then looked back at Meg. He raised his brow in question.

_Touch me? Oh, yes, please!_

Fortunately, she didn't say that aloud. Instead she nodded dumbly, her tongue frozen. Chris approached her slowly and raised his hand. He hesitated for a second and then his fingers were against her cheek.

Meg's breath caught in her throat. Her eyes slammed into his and at that moment, she realized that it didn't matter that his gaze wasn't green. All that mattered was that he was Christopher, whatever face he was wearing. He was Christopher and she loved him with everything she had.

When he left, it was going to destroy her.

Chris's eyes darkened as she stared up into them, and his fingers moved ever so slightly, just enough that the movement could be called a caress. She swallowed heavily and unconsciously leaned into his hand, until he was nearly cupping her cheek. Their eyes stayed locked, Chris making no movement to do anything but touch her.

"Ahem."

Both parties nearly jumped a mile when Leo cleared his throat, Meg's eyes widening and Chris freezing. Abruptly the shutters came down and the whitelighters face went blank – so much so that if Meg hadn't have known what his glamour looked like, she would have thought there was a stranger standing in front of her. Chris's mouth twisted and he leaned back until his fingers were just barely touching her cheek, concentration once again dominating his features. Meg gasped as his magic suddenly flowed over her skin, the feeling exhilarating, adrenaline-charged and just plain wonderful. She caught a flash of white out the corner of her eye and then Chris stepped back.

"It's gone," he said in a monotone. He turned away from her and Meg lifted her hand to touch her cheek. Her brows rose. She could clearly still feel the bandage – was it really gone?

"He's right, chickadee, it looks like there's just skin there now," Danni said quietly. Meg met her gaze and then looked away, unable to handle the sympathy in them. She turned and headed towards the bathroom, determined to see for herself.

Ordinary, pale skin met her eyes when she looked into the mirror. There was no sign of the bandage at all. She watched said eyes widen again as her hand travelled up to touch her cheek once more. It was tingling. Was it supposed to do that?

Maybe it was tingling because of Christopher's touch.

She sighed and dropped her hand, turning and heading back to the living room. She couldn't think about that now. They had a mission to complete.

"Shall we go?" she asked the room, not looking at Chris, who seemed to be doing the same thing with her.

"Yes, lets!" Danni agreed, her cheeriness almost over-the-top. She bounced over to Meg and took her arm.

"Shotgun!" she called dragging the mortal out the door, a brooding whitelighter and a highly concerned Elder following them.

~0~

The Wiccan stores were a bust. They didn't find a single thing and after a couple of hours, even Danni was feeling a little downcast. Meg was worried about how she seemed to be blowing off her job – Danni was a receptionist in a Paediatricians office – but her friend waved it off, saying she'd rung in and explained what had happened, leading to them giving her another weeks holiday. This had only made Meg feel worse, but she let it go. She herself wasn't due back at work until next week anyway, Niall insisting she take as long as she needed, which she was very grateful for. They stepped outside the sixth Wiccan store, collective spirits low.

"I don't think it's worth carrying on today," Leo said. "We need to narrow the search first. There's just something about that spell that isn't adding up. It doesn't make sense that we can't find anything on it."

"So you suggest that we just go back to the apartment?" Chris demanded. He'd been in a grumpy mood all day, snapping at everyone – well, everyone except Meg that is. He hadn't said a word to her unless he absolutely had to. She was trying not to let it get to her, but as time passed, she was steadily getting more and more annoyed.

What the hell was his problem? She'd done nothing that she could think of. So why was he acting like she was something he'd scraped off the bottom of his shoe?

"It's pointless to keep searching when we don't know exactly what to look for, or even where to look," Leo explained. Chris scowled and moved his shoulder in agitation.

"Stupid fanfiction author," he muttered darkly. "How dumb can you be to put a real spell in a work of fiction? I have half a mind to-"

"Oh My God! You're Andrew McGinnis!"

All four searchers turned at the loud, enthusiastic shout, watching as a heavyset brunette wearing the most ridiculous glasses came hurtling their way. They were bright pink, shaped as if the edges were wings, and were bedazzled within an inch of their life. The corners of Meg's mouth turned up as the woman got closer, the eyes behind the silly glasses alight. Her eyewear might have suited a young girl, but on a woman who looked to be in her forties, they were just bizarre.

"You are, aren't you?" the woman demanded, skidding to a stop in front of Leo. "You're Andrew McGinnis?"

"Ahhh…" Leo said, glancing at the others in confusion.

"You are!" the woman cried. "Holy crickets, I can't believe it! I absolutely love Charmed! It's an honour to meet you!"

She stuck out her hand and Leo stared at it in bemusement for a moment, before tentatively taking it. The woman pumped his hand firmly, still gushing.

"It's a pity you were only in the series for such a short time, but I do have to admit that no one is better at playing Leo's character then Brian Krause. You did a good job though. To play the new identity of such a well-known character is a big deal!"

Meg gasped as she suddenly realized why Leo's glamour was so familiar. Of all people, Chris had to change Leo into a copy of _him?_ Both Chris and Danny looked over at her curiously, but she ignored them, lunging forward to take the Elder's arm.

_Oh shit. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit._

"I'm sorry, but we really have to go," she blurted, tugging on the appendage. The woman frowned at her.

"No, no, no, you have to stay! I have so much to ask you! Oh, if you'd only been in the sixth season! That's my favourite season, you know! When Leo found out that Chris Perry was in fact, Chris Halliwell and his future son, well that just made me bawl! Imagine your own son hating you? Dreadful!"

Meg groaned silently as Leo went very, very still. His grip on the woman's hand tightened until she gasped in pain and tugged it free.

"Could you please repeat that?" he asked, his voice edging towards strained. The woman frowned again, rubbing her hand.

"Repeat what? Don't you think it's disgusting that Leo treated his youngest son so badly, Chris ended up hating him?"

"That," Leo said, his voice now fully choked. He slowly and carefully turned towards Chris, who was standing frozen on the spot, his eyes panicked. The Elder opened his mouth and then closed it again, confusion and desperation pumping off him.

"Chris?"

"So, fun day all round, don't you think?" Danni asked brightly as she turned towards Meg, an extremely fake smile plastered on her face.


	15. Chapter 15 - Just too much

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Danni and Meg. And the glasses lady :D

**A/N – Okay, so you may have noticed that I put the rating up. I felt that, combining Fergus and Chris's reaction to him in previous chapters, and the language Chris uses in this one (he's in a **_**really**_** bad mood in this chapter), it was time to up it. I apologize if this puts anyone off, but that's the way this story wants to be written. So, keep in mind the few more F-bombs then usual in this chapter and once again, I'm sorry if the swearing offends. **

**Chapter Fifteen – Just too much**

"_So, fun day all round, don't you think?" Danni asked brightly as she turned towards Meg, an extremely fake smile plastered on her face._

* * *

"Huh. Well isn't that a coincidence. He has the same first name as Chris on Charmed."

Chris's head shot round and the lady with the ugly glasses instinctively took a step back, her eyes wide. He really didn't blame her. He'd been in a pisser of a mood anyway, then she comes running up and spills a secret he'd managed to keep for months! He bared his teeth at her and the woman took another step back, her eyes darting to his bandaged knuckles, which he suddenly remembered he hadn't incorporated into his glamour.

"Chris?"

He groaned silently as his 'father' repeated his name in that wounded, disbelieving tone. God damn it all to hell! He just didn't have time for this! He hadn't anticipated anyone finding out who he really was, let alone Leo! He was the last person he wanted knowing!

"Maybe we should take this to a more private place," Meg suggested quietly. Chris glanced at her and then looked away quickly, really not wanting to think about or deal with her at the moment. He had too much to deal with already as it was.

"That's… that's a good idea," Leo answered, having to clear his throat half way through his sentence. His son nodded in agreement.

"Wait, what? You can't just leave!"

Chris growled, taking a step towards the stupid little idiot who had turned a maybe flooding creak into a definitely raging mudslide. He stilled when a small hand wrapped around his wrist.

"Don't," Meg murmured, her hand tightening until it seemed like the heat of it was burning through his sweater and into his skin. "She really doesn't know any better."

"So she can't help being a fucking moron?" Chris muttered as Danni scampered over to the stranger and took her by the arm, whispering something to her in a cheery tone. Meg's lips twitched in amusement.

"Some people are just born that way," she answered softly and Chris snorted. Whatever Danni was saying to the woman seemed to be working, because she was nodding and glancing over at the rest of the group, her pudgy face thoughtful and disappointed at the same time. Danni finally stepped away from her and the woman approached Leo again. It took three tries for her to get his attention, the Elder's focus entirely zeroed on Chris. The whitelighter ignored him.

"Umm, so I'll let you get back. It was so awesome to meet you! Do you think you could get me Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan's autographs?"

She pouted slightly when all Leo did was send her a blank stare. "No? Oh well. I _will_ meet them someday. My psychic told me it was my destiny."

The excited, very positive smile fell off her face when she met the gazes of her thoroughly unimpressed audience of four. She pouted again, frowned and backed away.

"Yes. Well okay. Ah, so bye now!" With a final eager smile, the woman wiggled her fingers, turned and sauntered away. Chris scowled after her while Meg glanced over at Danni.

"What did you say to her?"

"Oh, nothing much, just that Andrew here," she said with a side nod at Leo, "he loves his fame but he's also trying for as normal life as possible, and would really appreciate it if she didn't incite a riot. She jumped at the chance to do a star a favour."

"I'm wearing the glamour of a star?" Leo asked with another glance at Chris. Once again, the whitelighter ignored him.

"I wouldn't really call him a star, I've only ever seen him in Charmed," Meg said thoughtfully. "But then again, I don't watch much TV nowadays. He could have done more."

"As much fun as this little discussion is, how about we _don't_ talk about it in the middle of the fucking street?" Chris snapped. Leo send him a disapproving look and Chris felt himself sneer.

"Right, Mr Grumpy Pants, away home we go then," Danni said with an arched brow. She threw her arm around Meg's shoulder and the two of them started walking down the road.

"We're driving?" Leo queried in surprise as he and Chris followed them. "Umm, any way we can maybe just orb?" Once again, Chris nodded in agreement.

"What about my car? I can't just leave it here," Meg pointed out over her shoulder. She stopped abruptly when Danni pulled herself up short.

"I'll take it," the tiny woman said. "I need to go home and check in with Frank anyway. I'll drive it back to mine and come pick up my own car in a couple of hours."

"Good. Great. Fantastic. Let's go," Chris demanded. Meg turned and glared at him, making Chris scowl again and look away.

"Are you sure?" Meg asked Danni as she turned back to her friend. "You're happy to leave us?"

Danni laughed. "Oh, honeybunch, as much as I love the drama swelling all around at the moment, this is more about Leo and Chris than anyone else. You've got to be there because your part of all this. I'm just a last minute add-on."

"You are not!" Meg protested. She frowned when Danni chuckled.

"You're the Charmed know-it-all, Meg, though thank God you're not as obsessed as that ABBA/Elton John wannabe was. These two boys are yours to deal with. You can fill me in later, kay?"

Danni smiled when Meg sighed and finally nodded. "Good, good. Now, you lot better head into a conveniently placed dark alleyway and be on your way, especially before Tall, Dark and Brooding here, blows a gasket." She smirked at Chris who glowered at her.

"See what I mean?" she laughed. She turned to Leo and saluted him. "Good luck with your need-to-knows, Angel Dude."

"Thanks," Leo said in a quiet tone. He was chewing on his lower lip and constantly looking at the man who'd he'd just found out was his son. Chris knew he was doing this and continued to do what he'd been doing ever since he'd been revealed. He ignored him.

"You're most welcome. Well, catch you all later."

She snatched the keys out of Meg's hand and trotted off. If Chris had been in a better mood, her similarity to a certain youngest Charmed One would have amused him greatly.

"So, home then?" Meg asked, turning to the two men. Leo nodded and held out his hand.

"I'll take you. You'll want to-"

"No!" Chris snapped, striding forward and putting his arms around the mortal. "She goes with me!"

He didn't give her a chance to protest. Not caring that they were in the middle of a public street, in a hugely populated city, or even that they were in a completely different reality, Chris did the only thing that was still constant and familiar to him.

He orbed.

~0~

"My God… what the fu… I just… _Christopher! _Are you _insane?"_

Chris watched Meg moodily as the redhead spluttered. They were standing in the middle of Meg's living room, having just reformed. Meg began hoeing into him the minute she'd jerked out of his hold.

"In the middle of mortal New York, Chris? You _orbed,_ in the middle of bright daylight, outside, in view of anyone who just happened to be walking by! What is _wrong _with you?!"

"Nothing's wrong with me!" Chris growled. He couldn't help feeling a little guilty, which of course, made him even grumpier. He didn't have a clue what had made him act so out of character. He knew Meg was right to tell him off, but still couldn't help feeling defensive.

Okay, so he _did_ know why he'd done it, but he really didn't want to think about that. At all.

"Well, obviously something is! What the hell were you thinking?"

"Oh, I don't know, might it have something to do with my 'father' having just been let know who I was, by some insane, rabid fan of the TV show that happens to be my life?" Chris snarled. Meg sighed and folded her arms.

"That would be a great excuse if you weren't already in a terrible mood, Chris! You've been snapping and snarling all day! Every innocent comment has been taken as an insult or something that shouldn't have been said, and you've spent the day all but ignoring me! What's the matter? Have I done something wrong?"

Chris scowled and had just opened his mouth to reply when the familiar tinkle of orbing filled the room and Leo appeared. The Elder just stood there, a look of intense incredulity stamped on his features. The whitelighter sighed.

"Yes, yes, I know, I orbed when I shouldn't have, Meg's already gone off at me about it so no need to add your own thoughts to the mix," he said dismissively. Leo didn't say anything, just stared at him, before turning and looking at Meg.

"Do you mind if we have a little, ah…"

"Privacy? Sure thing. I'll just go listen to my IPOD or something," she said, heading towards the stairs. Chris took a step towards her.

"No, no, you don't have to go," he said and even he could hear the pleading in his tone. Lord, he _really _didn't want to be left alone with Leo at the moment!

"Yes, I do, Christopher," Meg answered with a soft, understanding smile. "Don't worry so much. I'll just be downstairs if you need me."

_Don't go! I need you now!_ Chris thought desperately. Obviously Meg wasn't able to hear his thoughts though, as she just continued towards her bedroom, stopping on the way to briefly squeeze Leo's arm in comfort. The Elder smiled at her and Chris snarled silently before scowling at himself. God, he was a mess at the moment.

Leo looked back up at him after Meg had descended the stairs, and he waved his hand towards the couches. Chris sighed and sat on Meg's original one, while Leo silently took the one he'd brought into existence. Chris stared down at his hands as he waited for the older man to speak.

"You want to remove the glamour's? It would be nice to see who I'm talking to," Leo asked softly. Chris grimaced and clicked his fingers. Instantly, bright lights zoomed over them both and then they were sitting there in their original bodies. He heard a soft gasp from downstairs and realized he must have removed the partial glamour he put on Meg as well.

"Chris. Ah, you're… you're my son?"

Leo question pulled Chris's mind away from forbidden territory and the side of his mouth tilted up into a self-deprecating smile.

"Biologically, yeah, we're related," he muttered. Leo sucked in a sharp breath and then let it out again slowly.

"The woman called you Chris Halliwell. I take it that, ah, Piper's your mother?"

"Well, unless you've suddenly taken up the hobby of screwing her sisters, it must be true, mustn't it?" Chris snarked.

"Christopher! Manners!"

"I thought you were listening to your IPOD?" he shouted back down the stairs, smirking at the beat of silence the followed.

"I am! I'm just… charging it!"

"You _can_ do both at the same time, Megan," he called. His smirk grew when all the answer he got was an inaudible mutter and the rustle of bed linen.

"So that means that you came back to save Wyatt because he's your brother," Leo said slowly. Chris rolled his eyes.

"And he hits it out of the park! Well _done, _Oh Great and Mighty Elder!"

He waited for the scolding from downstairs, but when nothing came, he realized that Meg must really be doing what she said she was going to do. Leo didn't say anything, but his steady stare made Chris squirm, which didn't help his mood. He scowled down at his hands.

"You came here to change the past, mixing yourself in with your future family, without giving a single indication that you're part of that family? Christ, that must have taken some guts."

I wasn't really a question, more of an observation, and Chris scowled further at the admiration in the Elders tone. He shrugged.

"It wasn't hard," he muttered.

"Somehow I find that hard to believe," Leo said dryly. "So… the woman also said that you… hate me."

Once again, it wasn't a question. Chris blanched and looked back up at his father.

"Don't worry about it; the idiot didn't have a clue what she was on about."

"Yes she did, Chris," Leo said firmly. "She recognised the glamour you put me in, one that even Meg didn't recognise. Why'd you pick that one anyway?"

Chris shrugged again. "No idea," he said honestly. "It just popped into my head."

"Well, it doesn't matter," Leo said with a wave of his hand. "The point is that that woman knew exactly what she was talking about. She said you hate me. Do you?"

Chris blinked and scowled once again, not expecting the straight up question. He knew the answer, he just found himself reluctant to give it. Which only annoyed him further, as the man in front of him didn't deserve any courtesy from the son he'd abandoned.

Deciding to be a forward as the Elder was being, he answered very curtly.

"Yes."

Leo jolted as if he'd been hit by a surge of lighting. The green eyes he shared with his son widened and his face paled rapidly.

"_Why?"_

The word came out strangled and Chris quickly shoved away the blanket of guilt that enveloped him. Leo didn't deserve his regret. Not at all.

"Look, let's not go into it. It's not really important and-"

"Yes, it is, Chris! Very important! You're my son!"

The whitelighter shot to his feet, everything that he'd been thinking and feeling swirling up inside him until he had no choice but to let it out. He shoved his hand into his hair and released a bitter, knowing laugh.

"Your son? _Your son?_ Oh, believe me, father dearest, I am _far _from that! I have never been, nor will I ever be, _your son, _and nothing you can say or do will ever change that! So get off your fucking high-horse and get the hell over it! I'm sick of the bloody whining!"

"Christopher."

He spun round to glare at the stairs where one of the reasons for his foul mood was now standing. Meg's expression bordered between sympathetic and annoyed, the earplugs for her IPOD hanging around her shoulders.

"What?" he snapped.

"You should listen to him. He loves you."

Chris's mouth fell open and he once again let out a bitter laugh, his hand reaching up to rub his forehead as it began to pound. Christ, he didn't _need_ this!

"Oh yes, he definitely loves me, Meg! He's known who I am for all of two seconds, that just _guarantees _that he loves me now, doesn't it?!"

"He's your father, Christopher."

"WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?!" Chris exploded, his resentment, anger, bitterness and that God-awful jealousy just spewing over. "LOOK AT _YOUR_ FATHER, MEG! YOU CAME FROM HIS LOINS, AND HE DIDN'T EVER LOVE YOU! I'M SURPRISED YOU NOT MORE OF A FUCKING HEADCASE THEN YOU ALREADY ARE!"

"CHRIS!" Leo barked while Meg froze, her face going instantly white. Chris's mouth snapped shut and his hands fisted as he watched Meg swallow hard, her beautiful hazel eyes flashing with pain and then dulling until they were almost unrecognizable. Regret and guilt crashed over him and he hung his head, staring angrily at the floor.

_Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit shit!_

"I think maybe… maybe you better go somewhere and calm down, Christopher."

Chris's head shot up and he gawked at Meg, who was staring back at him, serenely calm.

"You're… you're kicking me out?" he whispered.

"No. You need to get yourself under control, and you're not going to be able to do that here. Not at the moment. Maybe you should just go for a walk and sort yourself out. We can all talk rationally when you get back."

Chris stared at her, inexplicably hurt. No matter what she said, that was exactly what she was doing. She was kicking him out.

Just like his mother had.

"Fine!" he snarled. "I'll go! I know when I'm not wanted and I'm certainly not one to overstay my welcome!"

Then Chris did, for the second time that day, the most natural thing.

He orbed.

* * *

**Well. Not sure how I feel about our favourite whitelighter at the moment. What about you guys? Let me know!**

**Guest review replies.**

**Kirsty - Aww, thank you! What an awesome review! I was trying my best to make the 'reveal' original. Glad I succeeded!**

**Audrey - Thanks so much for your review and I'm thrilled you restarted your Charmed fanfiction reading with my story! Hope this chapter didn't let you down! :D**

**Guest - Holy mother of swear words? I love that! Thanks for your excitement and your review!**

**Guest 2 - Thanks for the review and I love that I shocked you! :D **


	16. Chapter 16 - Not supposed to be

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Danni and Meg

**Chapter Sixteen – Not supposed to be**

_Then Chris did, for the second time that day, the most natural thing. He orbed._

* * *

New York City was as beautiful as San Francisco from up high. Chris leant against the edge of the railing and stared out over New York Harbour, finding the view almost as comforting as the view from Golden Gate was. The Statue of Liberty Torch Balcony certainly wasn't as windy as the Bridge was, as the railing blocked the elements a little. Chris didn't care. At least he didn't have to brace himself so much. He was free to beat himself up in peace.

He scowled as he stared at the water. God, he was an idiot! A complete and utter moron! How could he have possibly said those things? Did he have no brain at all? Did he _enjoy_ hurting people? He must! Lord knows he took as many pot-shots at Leo as he possibly could. He had a reason there, though; the Elder deserved everything Chris dealt out. But Meg… she'd deserved none of it.

His scowl deepened and he shook his head in agitation. He still couldn't get his head around her kicking him out. She of all people should have known how he'd react to her 'suggestion.' When Piper had done it – his own mother for fuck's sake – he'd actually been surprised at how much it had hurt. He shouldn't have been. Though he'd expected a little better from Piper, he'd always known that Wyatt came first – with everyone, his mother included. Oh, she hadn't blatantly ignored him like Leo had when he was a child, but he'd still known that his elder brother was more important than him, even to their mother. He was the Twice Blessed. How could he not be?

Piper _had_ tried quite a bit more then Leo had, so he'd at least grown up with the knowledge that she loved him. She'd tried not to pick Wyatt over him too often – though sometimes it had been unavoidable and he'd understood that. He'd accepted it more from him Mom, had even defended her to herself occasionally. So when Piper had gone for his jugular over Wyatt, not even attempting to listen to him… well, it hadn't left him all warm and fuzzy, to say the least.

_She doesn't know who you are, Christopher. You can't base her reaction on her being your mother when, in her mind, she only has one son. Of course she's going to be on Wyatt's side in this case. You need to understand that._

Chris groaned and sat down on the floor of the Balcony, leaning back against the base of the Torch. His hand when to his hair and began to tug insistently. Why couldn't he get her voice out of his head? It was like she'd become his conscience. And what's worse, he knew what her voice was saying was true! He knew he was being unreasonable, blaming Piper for a crime she had no clue she'd committed. Just as he knew deep down – _way _deep – that he shouldn't be blaming Leo either.

His hand dropped and he drew his knees up, his wrists resting against them. He stared down at them for a moment and then leaned his head back against the Torch with a sigh. A week ago, there would have been no way he'd ever admit that to himself. He'd always thought that, just because Leo wasn't treating him like a leper yet, doesn't mean he should give his father a clean slate. They were still the same person – a different time period wasn't going to change that.

So why was he suddenly changing his mind now? Why was he even a little willing to give this Leo the benefit of the doubt?

He snorted to himself, the end drawing out into another groan. He knew why. It had a lot to do with the reason he was up here. A lot to do with redheaded, hazel-eyed mortal.

A lot to do with a woman he was very quickly coming to believe he was in love with.

His eyes closed as memories played back in his mind. Meg had said he'd been a bad mood all day, and she'd been right. He had. He'd been in a horrible mood, ever since he'd stared into his hosts eyes as he went to glamour her, and something had clicked inside him.

Something had lined up – or maybe opened was more the right word. He'd stared into those eyes as his fingers brushed her cheek, and wham! Whatever had been building inside him had collated into this bright, hot, intense feeling in his chest.

It was a feeling Chris knew very well, having felt it before. For someone else. For the person he'd been going to marry.

For the one he'd expected to spend the rest of his life with.

His head dropped as he squeezed his eyes shut tighter. How could he possibly be in love with Meg when he was supposed to love Bianca? It just didn't make sense! Bianca had given up her life for him. Given it up so they could achieve what they'd set out to do and fix the future. They'd both known that they could lose their lives during their foolhardy plan, but it hadn't stopped them. Now, Bianca had, and what does he do? Goes and falls in love with the first woman he sees!

His mouth twisted into a sneer. Yes, that was a great way to honour Bianca's memory!

_She betrayed you._

His eyes blinked open and he stared blankly at the railing in front of him. That hadn't been Meg's voice. That had been Wyatt's. The Wyatt he'd known as a young teenager, who had still been there for his younger brother occasionally. And he was right. Bianca _had_ betrayed him.

That didn't mean he didn't still love her. Or that the guilt he felt over falling for Meg wasn't killing him.

Chris's head fell back and he knocked it against the concrete once, twice, three times. A dull ache began radiating from his skull and he welcomed it. Maybe the pain would clear up his extreme confusion, though he doubted it. Nothing would that he could see.

He just didn't know what to do. He couldn't keep treating Meg as if she didn't exist, couldn't keep shouting at her and calling her names. He should never have done that in the first place. But he couldn't get closer to her either, otherwise he didn't think he'd be able to survive leaving her.

That's if he was able to leave at all.

He growled aloud and rubbed his face hard. It didn't matter anyway. Meg had kicked him out. She obviously didn't feel anything for him. And even if she did, it could never go anywhere, as he didn't belong here. He belonged in a reality where magic existed, and that was where he was going back to.

With or without Meg's help.

The witch shivered slightly as the wind picked up a bit. He didn't know how long he'd been up there, but it must have been a longish while. It had been light when he'd made tracks. Now, it was fairly close to full dark. He sighed and slowly drew himself up, needing to find a place to spend the night. Because as breath-taking as the view was – or at least had been, when he could see it – the Statue of Liberty wasn't a very good place to sleep.

He turned just in time to see a shower of blue flare in the darkness. He scowled at Leo when the Elder formed.

"What do you want?" he barked. His father held up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"I'd really like it if we didn't fight," Leo said. Chris snorted.

"Funnily enough, I don't see that happening," he muttered. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"I'm an Elder, Chris. You're a whitelighter. Did you really thing you could hide from me?"

Chris's mouth pulled down into a hard line and he looked away from the other man. Leo sighed.

"Meg's worried about you," he said quietly. Chris's head whipped back around.

"So?" he snapped. "She's the one that kicked me out!"

"No, she didn't," Leo disagreed. "She only requested that you take a little time to calm down. I think she had the right, considering what you said to her, and what her ex put her through."

Chris scowled again as his guilt pulsed painfully through him. In one of the very first conversations they'd had, Meg had asked him not to shout at her. He'd promised he wouldn't.

Looks like his promises weren't as reliable as he'd always believed they were.

He grimaced and turned away to face the skyline again.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Leo asked.

"No," Chris answered, before cursing silently. "Talk about what?"

"About that fact that you're in love with someone you shouldn't be."

The whitelighter snapped round to face his father again. "Shut up!" he snarled. "Just shut the hell up! You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Oh, I don't, don't I?" Leo said as he folded his arms and raised a brow. "Did you forget that your mother's and my relationship was forbidden?"

His son growled in frustration and began tugging at his hair again. "I _don't_ want to talk about this!" he spat. "Especially not with you!"

Leo stared at him for a moment before sighing again. "Okay, so how about we talk about why you hate me?"

"Oh no. Nuh uh. No way, in any level of the Underworld!" Chris growled. "How about you just flitter off into the distance and leave me alone!"

"No way, in any level of the Underworld," Leo repeated with a small smile on his face. "We need to talk about this, Chris."

"No. We don't."

"Yes, my son, we do."

"I'm _not_ your SON!" Chris roared, all thought of giving Leo a chance flying out the window. It was one thing to think like that when he was alone, completely another when his 'father' was standing right in front of him!

"But why? Why aren't you my son, Chris?" Leo asked in desperation, taking a step closer to the younger man. "What have I ever done to make you hate me so much?"

"You _ignored_ me!" Chris bellowed, unable to help himself. "You treated me like I didn't exist and got angry and defensive when Mom pulled you up on it! I was never a son to you! I wasn't even part of your universe!"

Leo's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as his son stood there, breathing heavily, his fists balled. Chris couldn't help feeling a little smug at throwing the all-knowing Elder for a loop.

"W-what? But I… I can't have! I'd never… you're my flesh and blood, I'd _never_ treat you that way!"

"Oh, but you did, _Dad," _Chris sneered. "You treated Wyatt like a King and forgot all about me! Why would you need me anyway? You had your _Twice Blessed_ after all!"

"Oh, God," Leo muttered, his face pale. "You're saying I favoured Wyatt over you?"

Chris nodded rapidly. "Exactly what I'm saying, Daddy dearest! If you don't believe me, ask Meg! She'll set you straight!"

"No, I believe you," Leo murmured. "I had to have done something terrible for you to dislike me so much. I just… I don't know what to say."

Chris snorted and turned away. Not even an apology. Typical. The day Leo Wyatt apologized for _anything_ was the day demons finally triumphed.

"I know an apology won't do a thing, but I'm going to say it anyway. I'm so sorry, Chris."

The whitelighter stilled, his head falling as he let out a weak chuckle. God. Well, demons _had _triumphed after all. As he stood there, confused and conflicted, Meg's voice began running through his mind again; talking about stuff like that this Leo wasn't _his _Leo. They may share the same DNA, but they were completely different people. Leo had just proved that, hadn't he?

"I'm 22," he grumbled, ignoring his twisting thoughts. "You're apologizing a little late."

"Technically, I'm not, as technically you're not my son yet," Leo said, once again with a small smile on his face.

"I never have been, nor ever will be, your son," Chris muttered. Leo sighed for a third time.

"That's something we're just going to have to change," he said, a determined look in his eyes.

"Good luck with that," Chris snorted.

"Thanks," Leo said and his son glanced at him and rolled his eyes. "So, are you going back to the apartment?"

Chris frowned and shook his head. "No," he said shortly, turning away again. "I won't go where I'm not wanted."

"If that were true, your journey to the past would have been very short," Leo joked. He sobered when Chris just flicked him a glance.

"She really didn't kick you out, you know," he continued. "When I left, she was pacing and calling you all sorts of names under her breath."

"Yeah, great way to make me feel better," Chris said dryly.

"No, that's a good thing," the Elder insisted. "It means she cares. She really is worried."

Chris frowned again. "Why would she be worried after what I said?" he muttered to himself.

"Okay, so calling her a headcase wasn't the best idea," Leo agreed, confirming he'd heard. He grinned when Chris grunted. "But everything is fixable, Chris. If it wasn't, you wouldn't be here."

The whitelighter turned to look at him in confusion.

"Well, obviously your mother and I fixed things," Leo started. He stopped when Chris's brows went up.

"Did you?" he asked coolly. Leo frowned, opening his mouth and closing it again.

"We don't?"

"Is Meg pissed at me?" Chris asked, changing the subject. Leo blinked a couple of times and took a deep breath.

"No, not really. Just concerned. She'll probably be angry when you show up again."

"If she's that concerned, why doesn't she call me?" Chris questioned. Leo frowned again.

"Call you?"

"Yeah," Chris said. "Like a charge does."

"You can hear her… like she's your charge?" Leo repeated slowly. Chris scowled at him.

"I just said that, didn't I?"

"Hmm," Leo said. "That's… unusual."

Chris looked at him sharply. "Good or bad unusual?"

"I don't know," the Elder said. "I guess we'll find out. That's if you're going back."

Chris was silent for a long moment, turning back and staring out at the vast lights of New York City.

"She's really worried?"

"Yeah," Leo answered softly. "She really is."

Chris grimaced, giving in to the inevitable. "Fine. But on one condition."

"What's that?"

"This… thing," he said as he turned and waved a hand between them, "we don't talk about it. About this, or about Meg. At all."

Leo scowled. "But-"

"No," Chris said as he shook his head. "No buts. This is non-negotiable. Us and Meg are off limits."

Leo stared at him and his expression twisted before his shoulders drooped slightly. "Okay. Okay. But only for now, Chris. We _are_ going to get this sorted."

He reached out a put his hand on Chris's shoulder.

"You're my son. Nothing you can say or do will change that. If I have to spend the rest of my life redeeming myself in your eyes, I will. I'll make it up to you, if it's the last thing I do. I swear it."


	17. Chapter 17 - Hopes and dreams

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Danni and Meg

**Chapter Seventeen – Hopes and dreams**

"_You're my son. Nothing you can say or do will change that. If I have to spend the rest of my life redeeming myself in your eyes, I will. I'll make it up to you, if it's the last thing I do. I swear it."_

* * *

"Annoying jerk. Bloody moron. Inconsiderate, bratty little whitelighter. Where the freaking hell is he? I'm going to kill him; I swear I'm going to kill him!"

Meg paced and muttered, wringing her hands and scowling as she walked from one end of the living room to the other. She ignored Danni as her friend sat calmly on the sofa and watched her with an amused expression.

"Killing him won't help, you know," the other woman pointed out. Meg growled under her breath.

"Probably not, but it'll make me feel better!" she hissed, still striding up and down, up and down.

"No, it won't," Danni disagreed. "If you lay into him the second he gets back, you'll just make the situation even worse than it already is."

"That's if he gets back," Meg muttered. "The bloody shit better come back." She stopped and turned to her friend, her face twisting in fear. "Oh God, Danni, what if he doesn't come back?"

The tiny brunette was at her side in an instant, taking Meg by the shoulders and squeezing in reassurance. Her face was determined as she met the tears just starting to form in Meg's eyes.

"He's going to come back, honeybunch, don't you ever think he won't."

"But he thinks I kicked him out!"

"Leo will set him straight when he finds him. And he will find him, Meg. He's an Elder; they can always find their employees, right?"

Meg snorted quietly and her head dropped as she sighed. She was so incredibly worried. Chris had left four hours ago and she hadn't heard a thing from him since. Four freaking hours! She was very, very close to having a breakdown, she was sure of it.

"Leo's one of the last people he probably wants to see at the moment," she mumbled.

"And he's one of the people Chris really needs to see," Danni said firmly. She raised a brow when Meg's head came up. "Even you've got to admit that that boy had issues, Meg."

Meg frowned at her friend. "No more than I do, Danni! We both have rocky relationships with our fathers, many people do! Doesn't mean we have 'issues' as you say!"

"Ahhh, so it's more worry than anything else," Danni surmised with a grin. "You're not really all that pissed at him."

Meg sighed and walked around to take a seat on the sofa, her best friend following. "I'm trying to be. He said something completely unacceptable and I should be angry with him for that. But he… damn it."

"Ha. Unacceptable."

Danni shrunk back and held up her hands when Meg turned to stare at her. "Sorry, sorry. Couldn't help it. Been watching far too many re-runs of late. You know, you could use the naughty corner with him though. It's an approved Super Nanny punishment, after all."

Meg continued to stare silently and Danni rolled her eyes. She reached out and patted Meg's hand.

"You shouldn't stress so much, my friend. It really isn't all that good for you."

Meg's brows lifted slightly and she pursed her lips, her foot tapping on the floor as a substitute for pacing.

"You'd be acting exactly the same way if Frank were missing," she muttered.

"You're right, I would be, but Frank and I are an item – a long term and very likely to get married item. I love him, so it would be understandable if I freaked out."

Danni paused and her eyes widened when Meg looked down at that comment, becoming extremely interested in her fingernails. She let out a low groan.

"Oh, Megan, please tell me you haven't!"

"Haven't what?" Meg asked as innocently as possible. Danni folded her arms and sent her a pointed look. Her friend sighed and frowned at the floor, giving in.

"Look, it's not my fault, okay? You can't help who you fall for!"

"You could have at least tried not to fall ass over heel for him, Meg!" Danni exclaimed. She sighed when Meg looked up to glare at her. "I know, I know, I'm the worst type of hypocrite, but I'm worried about you! What are you going to do when he goes home? Because he will go home, honeybunch. Even I know that, and I don't know him nearly as well as you do."

Meg groaned and drew her knees up, burying her face into them. "I know he will. I hate it as much as you do, but I couldn't stop myself! There's nothing I can do – just help him get home as best I can."

"And break down once he goes?" Danni suggested softly. Meg lifted her head and sent her friend a rueful, sad smile.

"That's a given, I'm afraid," she whispered. Danni sighed again and scooted over until her could wrap Meg up in her arms.

"Ahh, not to worry. We'll get you through it," she murmured. Meg huffed out a breath and closed her eyes. Yes, she would get through it, but she really wasn't looking forward to it happening in the first place.

"You know," Danni said quietly, thoughtfully almost, as she pulled back, "there is one thing you could do."

Meg frowned at friend, wondering what was going through her mind. She'd turned the problem over and over repeatedly, and hadn't come up with any solution. Everything she'd thought of had still eventually led to heartbreak – mainly hers.

"Oh? What's that?"

"Ah… go with him."

Meg blinked. And then blinked again.

"What?"

"You heard me. Go with him."

"Go… I can't!"

"Why the hell not?" Danni demanded. "What's keeping you here?"

"Keeping me… You are! And my job and this apartment and, and… I can't just up and leave, Danni!"

"Why the hell not?" Danni repeated with a smirk. "I know you enjoy your job and don't want to let Niall down, but you don't intend to work in a pub for the rest of your life, right? And this apartment is just that, Meg. An apartment. It's your home at the moment, but you can make anywhere home if you have the right ingredients. And me, well… sure, I'll miss you until the world ends, but I'm not going to get in the way of your happiness. You should know that."

"Of course I know that," Meg muttered.

"So, why are you arguing then?"

"But… go… jeez I can't even imagine it!"

"Can you imagine being with the man you love for the rest of your life?"

"Yes," Meg answered immediately, not even having to think about it. She was at the stage that she couldn't even visualize her life without Christopher in it anymore. And that was an incredibly scary thought.

"Well then, there's your answer."

"But it's not!" Meg protested, her tone heading very quickly towards shrill. "I really can't just up and leave! What about Ma? I need to be here for her if she ever changes her mind!"

"Hey, what am I, chopped liver?" Danni argued forcefully. "I can take care of all that. Besides, you can't put your life on hold because your mom isn't living hers, Meg! She made her decision years ago, you can't pause everything on the off chance she might suddenly decide to make a different one!"

"Okay, okay, I can accept that, but your forgetting the most important thing," Meg argued right back.

"And what, pray tell, is that?"

"I have no idea if he feels the same way!"

Danni rolled her eyes again. "Oh, come on," she said in her best impression of Andy off Cougar Town. "Really? I've said it before, you have to be blind." She shook her head when Meg frowned stubbornly. "Okay then. Well that's easy enough to solve. Ask him."

Meg groaned and fell back onto a cushion. "Ask him? _Ask him?_ Because of course, it _really _is that simple. Bloody buggering hell!"

"Yes, Meg, it really is," Danni insisted. "It was being open and honest that eventually got me my Frank. It's obvious Chris can't stay here, so tell him how you feel and go with him." She leaned forward and grabbed Meg's arm, pulling her up. "Just think of it, chickadee. You, him, the sisters and Leo, all in the Charmed world! It's a great life for you!"

"Oh yes, just perfect, especially if you mix in those pesky little demons and the fact that _I'm not a witch!"_ Meg growled. "Much as I'd love to live that life, I don't really think it would last all that long!"

"See, I'd have to disagree there, puddleduck."

"What? You think I'd stand a chance against a demon?"

"No, it's not that," Danni said with a thoughtful frown. "Though that pretty easy to get round as well. You _will_ be with the Charmed Ones, after all. But," she said as Meg blinked at her again, "that's wasn't what I was talking about. It's the not-a-witch part."

"But I'm not," Meg said.

"No, but I don't think you're entirely normal either," Danni said with a cheeky grin, which widened when Meg rolled her eyes. "You have to be something, honeybunch. A completely and utterly normal, run-of-the-mill mortal wouldn't have been able to make that spell work."

Meg frowned at her and was about to answer when the room suddenly flashed blue, a tinkling sound following immediately. Meg was on her feet in the same second, her eyes fixed on the lanky, browned-haired, green-eyed whitelighter, who was staring back at her just as intensely.

"Umm. Right. Leo, want to come meet my guy?" Danni asked in an upbeat tone as she got off the sofa and quickly bounced over to him. The Elder frowned.

"No, I think I should-"

"And I think you shouldn't," Danni stated, taking his arm. She shook it gently when his frown deepened. "Orb, man, orb!"

"But-"

"Now!"

Leo orbed, leaving the witch and the mortal alone, staring at each other.

~0~

"When did Danni get here?" Chris asked in a low tone, finally breaking the tension-filled silence. Meg swallowed, running her eyes over him, frantically looking for any sign of injury. Her agitation came back three-fold when she didn't find anything.

"About an hour ago," she said in a too calm voice. She swallowed again and took a step forward. "Where have you been?"

She watched as Chris frowned at the slightly curious tone, as if she didn't really care and was only asking an off-hand question. He folded his arms.

"Out," he said shortly.

Meg's fists clenched.

"Out? _Out?_ That's all you can say? That you were _out?"_

"Yes," Chris answered, though he sounded a little more wary this time. "It's what you wanted, wasn't it?"

"What I _wanted_ was for you to go for a walk and calm down. I didn't expect you to be gone for four hours."

Once again, Meg said this casually, making Chris scowl even more.

"Didn't sound like that to me."

"No, of course it wouldn't, Christopher, not when you _decided _to take it the way you did," Meg said pleasantly. "Just like you decided to stay away for four hours and worry me so much, I all but wore a hole in the fucking floor!"

The last bit was hissed, Meg's calm evaporating as she took two more quick steps towards her houseguest. Chris's eyes widened and something else flashed in them before it was gone.

"Meg, ah…"

"Don't you 'Meg' me!" she snapped. "Four hours, Chris! Four fucking hours! Without a single word from you! Were you trying to drive me insane with worry? Because if you were, you may have just succeeded!"

"I didn't think you'd really care."

"YOU DIDN'T THINK I'D _CARE?_" Meg screeched, taking another couple of steps. She was nearly nose-to-nose with him now. "WHAT AM I, A MONSTER? OF COURSE I CARE! EVEN IF YOU WERE A STRANGER, I'D CARE, CHRISTOPHER! I'VE TOLD YOU THAT BEFORE! AS IT IS, I CARE TOO BLOODY MUCH! IT'S YOU WHO OBVIOUSLY DOESN'T CARE!"

"But… you kicked me out."

Just like that, Meg deflated. He sounded like a lost little boy, confusion overlapping his words. She sighed and absently reached up to brush his hair back, not noticing the way he went still at her touch.

"No, Christopher, I didn't," she said in a firm voice. "You were so angry and saying things I knew you'd regret later. I just wanted you to calm down, and you needed to be away from Leo and me to do that properly." A slight smile graced her lips. "Believe me; I know what I'm talking about."

The corner of Chris's mouth turned up. "That bastard get you riled up occasionally?"

Meg nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, and since he didn't like that, I had to find a way to calm down quickly. Walking away is best – though he really didn't like that either."

"I wish I could see you lay into him," Chris muttered, a fierce grin spreading across his face. "Asshole wouldn't know what hit him."

"Your right, he wouldn't" Meg agreed with a grin of her own. "But you're changing the subject."

"I am?"

"Yes," Meg answered, her grin widening. "I can clearly see how you got out of trouble when you were a kid."

"Is it working this time?"

Meg couldn't help it. She laughed and Chris relaxed. She shook her head.

"Maybe I'm letting you off far too easily, but yes, you jerk, it's working. I can't stay angry at you. Not with you here, safe and sound.

Chris's returning grin was lightning quick, making Meg laugh again. The sound died suddenly in her throat when Chris shifted and his leg brushed against hers, making her realize _exactly_ how close they'd become. She stared up into his eyes and watched that fact register to him as well. Her heart began to pound as the green darkened considerably.

Her hand clenched on his chest, inadvertently caressing him – she hadn't even realized she'd put it there. She swallowed hard and made a split second decision. What better way to let him know how she felt, then to show him?

Actions speak louder than words after all.

She slowly leaned up on her feet until she was on the tip of her toes, her hand running up over his chest to rest on his shoulder, the other cupping his head. Chris's eyes widened again and he froze, his eyes locked on hers. Meg licked her lips nervously and his gaze shot to the movement, darkening even further.

He didn't pull away.

Meg keep leaning up, her blood heating, her heart going a mile a minute, her hands trembling slightly as the atmosphere in the room seemed to deepen. Chris leaned down a fraction and Meg paused momentarily, their mouths so close their breaths mingled. Her eyes drifted shut and she leaned up that last little inch…

And Chris stepped back.

It wasn't a huge step. Just enough to put a little distance between them – most people would still consider them in each other's arms. But to Meg it was like a rugby field had abruptly sprung up between them. Her eyes shot open and she blinked dazedly, meeting his eyes.

No emotion. At all. They were blank and shuttered, and pain and rejection ripped through Meg as she let go of Chris liked she'd been burned. She took a large step backwards and hid her now shaking hands in her pockets.

Well. At least now she knew. It looked like she wasn't going anywhere with him in the near future.

She really hadn't expected it to hurt this much though.

She cleared her throat and turned away. "I, ah, maybe you should call Leo and get them back here," she said, her voice rough.

"Meg."

"What?!" she snapped before taking a deep breath. It wasn't his fault he didn't return her feelings, she shouldn't be angry at him for it!

"I'm sorry. For… what I said earlier. I shouldn't have taken my emotional upheaval out on you."

Meg closed her eyes again. His voice was kind but formal, nothing like the Christopher who had just before wished he could see her let loose on her ex.

"That's okay, Chris, I understood," she muttered softly.

"No, it isn't," he said with just a little more conviction this time. "You're not a headcase and I shouldn't have said you were. I had no clue what I was talking about."

Meg shook her head, the shakes in her hands slowly making their way into the rest of her body. She needed to get away from him. Now.

"Don't worry about it, Christopher. I'm not," she said, her voice a touch desperate. She glanced back over her shoulder and then quickly looked away again. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I might just take a shower before the others get back."

She turned towards the bathroom and took a few steps, stopping when Chris spoke again.

"I didn't mean it."

"Yes, you did," Meg whispered, no longer exactly sure what they were talking about. She didn't even really care. All she wanted was to get behind a closed door, away from him.

"I'll see you in half an hour," she said and nearly ran to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. She flicked on the water and frantically pulled her clothes off, stepping into the shower before it was even lukewarm.

She then crouched under the spray, put her head in her hands, and let the tears fall.

* * *

**A/N - You know, it's funny, I was writing the majority of this chapter while an interview for the TV show, Mistresses was on. Alyssa Milano anyone? They even showed a fraction of a scene from Charmed.**

**Well, I thought it was funny...**

**Guest review replies:**

**Bianna - I'm so sorry I didn't answer you in the last chapter! I was going to but then I posted and didn't realize until a couple of days later that I'd forgotten! I hope you're still reading! To answer your question, I haven't read any of the latest ones, but I've read a couple of completed ones. My absolute favourite is Fairy Peculiar by Bianca. 101 (add a T after the first full stop and then another full stop, then Sparrow, then 101) - the OC doesn't come from our reality though, but a different one. It's a fantastic story. The other ones I've read are Two Worlds, One Heart by TVGirl09, and Charmed Alive by Scribbled Truth. They're both good. Oh, and if you want an awesome straight Chris/OC, Wyatt/OC story, I recommend Unrequited by CharmedBec. Excellent fic. I hope this helps and thanks so much for reviewing! (and for wanting my opinion! Stoked!) :D**

**Kirsty - Lol, yes I know, I want to hug him as well! I agree, he never lets Leo speak, so I though he should in this one - though they didn't really sort anything out, did they? I'm thrilled you enjoyed hearing Chris's thoughts and as always, thanks for letting me know what you think!**

**Wow. Long A/N. I'll go now. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites! :D**


	18. Chapter 18 - Mixed messages

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Danni and Meg

**Chapter Eighteen – Mixed messages**

_She then crouched under the spray, put her head in her hands, and let the tears fall._

* * *

Half an hour later, Meg exited the bathroom, her face composed and blank. She showed no signs of her crying jag – she'd made very sure of that. It was the reason she'd picked the shower to break down in in the first place. Not only did the sound of the water hide the sound of her tears, the heat of it settled her puffy face afterwards.

Chris looked up the moment Meg opened the door. His intense green gaze latched onto her face as he slowly got to his feet. Meg looked at him and then looked away quickly, not able to hold his gaze for too long. Though she had control of herself, it was a tentative control. She needed to spend some more time away from him to firmly establish her boundaries.

And the thought that she now had to have boundaries between her and Christopher - Chris. Her and Chris. That just broke her heart all over again.

"Feeling better?" Leo asked and Meg looked over to find him sitting at the computer. Chris was sitting on the couch with the TV playing softly. He wasn't watching it though. His eyes were still firmly on Meg, which she was doing her best to ignore.

"Yeah," she answered quietly. "Where's Danni?"

Leo sent her a warm smile. "She decided to stay at her place. Mainly because I think her partner misses her and she picked up on that. Good guy, Frank is."

"Did you really orb in in front of him?" Meg asked. She was actually feeling a little relieved that Danni wasn't there. The two of them were as close as sisters, and she had a funny feeling that the other woman would have noticed something wrong the instant she saw her friend.

Meg was _not _ready to talk about it, which she was sure Danni would insist she do. She knew she'd have to eventually, but the wound was just too raw at the moment.

"No," Leo said with a chuckle. "Danni said he'd probably have a heart attack if we did that. She's decided not to tell him. According to her, he's a very straight-laced person who isn't big on the supernatural. All he knows is that she's spending some time with you, as you're having a bit of a crisis at the moment."

Meg's brows rose slowly in amusement. "Oh, I am, am I?"

"With what happened with The Asshole, it makes sense to say that," Chris said in a tone that carried next to no emotion. Meg closed her eyes briefly as his voice washed over her, sucking in a sharp breath to try to combat the ache around her heart.

Yup, she definitely needed some time away from him.

"It does," Leo agreed and Meg opened her eyes to see him glancing between her and Chris, his expression confused and a little wary. He turned back to Meg and sent her a questioning look. She shook her head in response and Leo sighed.

"What are you doing?" she asked him as she stepped closer. "I wouldn't have thought Elders were computer literate."

"Checking your emails. And most of us aren't," Leo answered, turning back to the screen. "But since I'll one of the newest ones, I had the benefit of living with technology before I got the promotion."

"Some promotion," Meg muttered, leaning over his shoulder.

"One I kind of wish I'd never taken," Leo said very softly. Meg blinked and glanced at him, but he was looking at the screen. She suddenly wondered exactly what had happened between the Elder and his future son when Leo had gone to find him.

She mentally shook her head at herself. The only way she was going to get over Chris and help him without causing more of a mess then she already had, was to put some distance between them. That meant not diving into Chris and Leo's blatant father/son issues and just focus on getting them home.

"Hey, your author answered," Leo said. Meg cocked her head in surprise and then tensed when she heard the sofa squeak slightly. She once again closed her eyes and shivered as the heat of Chris closed in at her back. God, it was terrible. He wasn't even that close to her and she was reacting like he was lying directly on top of her…

She very quickly shut that thought right down.

"What does it say?" Chris asked. Meg breath hitched and she stood up, scooting to the side so that she wasn't in any proximity to him. Chris's eyes followed her before he looked back at the screen, a scowl on his face.

"What I thought it'd say," Leo said. "They aren't willing to send the book across the country. But they do say that if we're that interested, and we're willing, we could come see it ourselves."

"Road trip?" Meg murmured. Leo grinned.

"Orb trip," he corrected. "It says here that they live in Newport, Rhode Island. It's close enough that we could go tomorrow and get away with saying we drove."

"We do need to see that book," Chris said. "Maybe it'll hold something similar to the spell the sisters used to send you here."

"The sisters didn't send me," Leo said as he looked back at Chris, who looked surprised.

"Who did then?"

"My old mentor, an Elder named Gideon. He was actually quite concerned about you. Of course, we didn't realize you didn't already have a plan to get back, otherwise we would have come up with a reversal spell."

Meg's eyes went wide. Gideon had sent Leo? Holy shit. She shared an astounded look with Chris, one that Leo caught.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, no," Meg answered quickly. "Just, ah, surprised that an Elder got involved at all. They didn't like or trust Chris much in the beginning either."

"True, but that's changed now," Leo said. He looked at his son again. "So, orb trip?"

"Orb trip," Chris confirmed after a pregnant pause. He then hesitated and looked at Meg. "You want to…?"

"Yes," Meg said hurriedly, filing away the fact that Gideon sent Leo, to look over later. The sooner they found a way to send the two of them home, the better.

She turned away quickly as the ache in her chest bloomed brighter at that thought. It would be better in the long run. She knew that. She _would_ get over Chris eventually.

She had to.

"Yes, we can do that tomorrow," she said as she headed towards the stairs. "I think I'll head to bed now though, get an early night."

"You haven't eaten."

"Yes, I have," Meg said, pausing fleetingly to glance back over her shoulder at Chris, quickly looking away again. "Danni made me when you were… gone."

"Oh. Do you need painkillers?"

Meg shook her head. "No. I'm fine, Chris. Just want to go to bed."

There was silence behind her and Meg kept walking, descending the stairs quickly. She just needed space. Time to herself. Since it looked like she wasn't going to be able to do that tomorrow, she'd take what she could now.

For the first time, Meg wished that she had a proper bedroom, with a proper bedroom door that she could close.

"Night, Meg," Leo called after her. Meg didn't answer, just climbed into bed, thankful she'd had the foresight to change into her pyjama's after her shower. She pulled the covers up and closed her eyes, only to have them open again ten seconds later.

She lay there for a long time, listening to the two men move around upstairs. Every time she heard the deeper voice of Chris – which wasn't very often, it seems the whitelighter wasn't in a very talkative mood – both her heart and her throat swelled. She eventually fell into a fitful, restless sleep, the murmur of the voices upstairs guiding her passage.

~0~

She was awake by six the next morning. She turned over onto her back and wiped angrily at her wet cheeks. She hadn't cried in her sleep since Fergus, and it was pissing her off that she was doing it now. Chris had made his choice. She needed to except that and start the process of moving on. Moping and wallowing wouldn't help at all.

Knowing that there wasn't any use in trying to get back to sleep, she got out of bed, grabbed some clothes and tiptoed up the stairs, heading for the bathroom. The instant she reached the top landing, she knew Chris was awake. It was like a sixth sense. He didn't say anything though, and neither did she. She went and took her shower – the way she was going, her water bill was going to triple – and then quietly padded past the silent whitelighter and the still sleeping Elder, into the kitchen for coffee and some breakfast.

She heard the shower go on again five minutes later – yup, definitely tripling her water bill – so she was somewhat expecting the kitchen door to open not long afterwards. Once again, Chris didn't say anything, just stood at the door and watched her.

"Do you want coffee?" she asked softly, to break the thrumming silence. She looked over her shoulder at him and her eyes widened. He was wearing a pair of low-slung jeans, a black singlet and an open dark green shirt. There wasn't anything on his feet, and water was slowly rolling down his neck from his still wet hair.

She'd never seen anything more sexy in her life.

"Where did you get the clothes?" she blurted out, trying to distract herself. It didn't work. She had to forcibly tear her eyes away from a bead of moisture as it disappeared under his singlet.

"Danni," Chris answered. The single word didn't give Meg any indication of what he was feeling. She nodded and, with more effort than it should have taken, turned back to the bench, where she was cutting up fruit.

"Coffee?" she asked again.

"I'll make it," Chris replied. He made his way over to the stove and got out another mug. He'd just finished pouring when Meg sat the fruit, muesli and yoghurt on the island bar, along with two bowls and spoons. He frowned slightly.

"I'm not the only who needs to eat," Meg said as she sat down. Chris shrugged and took a seat beside her. They were silent for a while as they each got their breakfast.

"I'm sorry," Chris said abruptly, fiddling with his spoon. He stared down at his cereal, not looking at her. "I just… I…"

"Like I said, don't worry about it, Chris," Meg cut him off, unable to help the flat monotone that accompanied the words. "I understand."

Chris looked up. "No, I really don't think you do."

She looked at him and then settled her concentration back on her breakfast. "This isn't my first time on the rodeo, you know. I know how to take a hint. It's my problem and I'll deal with it. Just put it out of your mind."

"Meg… but I…"

"No," she said with a firm shake of her head as she finished the last of her muesli and picked up her mug. "You need to concentrate on getting home, not dealing with a pesky, one-sided attraction. Let me deal with that and you can focus on your mission."

She took a last mouthful of coffee and then got up to put her dishes in the sink, only to stop suddenly when Chris gripped her arm.

"That's what this is to you? A pesky, _one-sided_ attraction?"

_God, no. It's much more than that. So, so much more._

She kept that thought to herself and met his eyes. There was no way in hell she was going to let him know how deep her feeling for him were. She sighed and opened her mouth to answer, only to have Chris beat her to it.

"It isn't one-sided."

_Oh, fuck._ Why the hell did he have to say that? Was he trying to make it harder for her? Acting on attraction often led to more if the parties were willing. But it often didn't as well. His words made a painful bolt of hope shoot through her, which was entirely the wrong thing to be feeling. If she slept with him and then he left without a backwards glance...

"Maybe not," she whispered, unable to handle that thought. "But you _are_ going back, Chris, it's just a matter of time. It's not worth it."

The whitelighter went still and then he let her go just as suddenly as he'd grabbed her, his expression shutting down.

"Pesky and not worth it. Right."

He turned back and picked up his spoon again. Meg stood at the bar, feeling as if something big had just been about to happen that she'd somehow put the brakes on. She groaned silently and then hesitated before turning and putting her dishes in the sink. She glanced at Chris again, but he didn't look up, so she walked out of the room to wake up her other houseguest – she was actually surprised she had to, she hadn't even realized that Elders slept – feeling battered and bruised, extremely confused and more than a little torn.

It was as if she'd thrown something away before it could even begin.

* * *

**A/N - Rather short chapter. Sorry about that. But we will be getting more into the backstory of the spell in the next chapter, so something to look forward to! :D**

**Guest review reply - Bianna: You're more than welcome, it thrilled me that you wanted my opinion. And thanks for preferring my fic over the others - lovely little ego boost lol. :D**


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